Do not send intravascular line tips on removal if there is no indication or clinical suspicion of infection.
Indications: site inflamed or unexplained fever with central line in situ.
Vascular line tips will only be processed if the patient has a positive blood culture within +/- 7 days of line removal. If the patient has not had a positive blood culture in the 7 days previous to receipt of the sample, it is stored in a fridge and a comment will be sent out.
Please contact us to discuss if you would like a line tip processed.
Sample type
- Cannula
- CVC
- Hickman line
- PICC line
- Vascath
- Tesio line
- Swan Ganz line
- Arterial line
- Portacath line
Specimen requirements
Send in a sterile universal container
Send a simultaneous peripheral blood culture and a line entry site swab if inflamed
In clinical details indicate line site
Minimum volume
N/A
Frequency of test
Daily
Turnaround time
3 days
What to request on EPR
Vascular line tip
