Utility of blood cultures in the management of adults with community acquired pneumonia discharged from the emergency department

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical value of blood cultures (BCs) in the management of adult patients discharged from the emergency department (ED) with a diagnosis of community acquired pneumonia (CAP). METHODS: The courses of antibiotic regimens and outcomes of patients with positive BC results were examined to assess their influence on BCs. RESULTS: BCs were obtained from 289 outpatients. Six clinically significant organisms were identified (a yield of 2.1%). Outpatients with CAP who had blood cultures performed had a 0.69% (2 of 289) chance of having a change of treatment directed by the results of the culture. CONCLUSION: BCs have little utility in the ambulatory management of CAP.