○ A set of blood cultures consists of two BacT/Alert bottles, one for aerobic and the other for anaerobic culture taken from a single venipuncture site. For infants, a single aerobic BacT/Alert PF bottle is required
○ Clean over the proposed site (an area with a diameter of about 5cm) using 2% chlorhexidine with 70% alcohol swabs for 30 sec and allow the site to air dry (usually about 10 sec). Do not palpate or touch the cleaned site with non-sterile gloves after cleaning
○ Remove the protective plastic cap from each BacT/Alert bottle and disinfect the rubber septum with 70% alcohol for 10 sec and allow it to air dry before proceeding.
○ Collect blood using a syringe to assure that the appropriate volume is collected.
○ For adults, collect 20 mL of blood for each blood culture draw. Expel all air from the syringe and aseptically inject 10 mL into the BacT/Alert FAN aerobic bottle and 10 mL in the BacT/Alert FAN anaerobic bottle. Do not overfill the bottles.
○ For children, volume depends on the weight:
• <1kg: 1-2 mL of blood
• 1-2 kg: 2-3 mL of blood
• 2-13 kg: 3-4 mL of blood
• 13-36 kg: 5-8 mL of blood
• >36 kg: 16-20 mL of blood