Do you think it is good practice to draw bloods in the field?

reaper

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The Lab sent out an email recently that from April-dec 2016, there were 544 pts with cultures drawn in the field. 0% contamination in all 544 draws. Once the procedure becomes routine, the rates stabilize.

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Ensihoitaja

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We are forbade from drawing on trauma activation patients to ensure that delaying transport or other treatment for an IV is not justified with "well the hospital would have wanted blood."

Interesting, we're mandated to draw bloods on our emergent trauma patients. Mostly because of some ongoing studies, but the ED likes it too.
 

EpiEMS

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The Lab sent out an email recently that from April-dec 2016, there were 544 pts with cultures drawn in the field. 0% contamination in all 544 draws. Once the procedure becomes routine, the rates stabilize.

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Interesting stuff. Thanks for sharing!
 

MikeC

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our area draws blood just about every time a catheter is inserted by every company locally.
 

Summit

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The Lab sent out an email recently that from April-dec 2016, there were 544 pts with cultures drawn in the field. 0% contamination in all 544 draws. Once the procedure becomes routine, the rates stabilize.

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0% n=544... that is suspicious... or a fluke. CLSI standards is <3%
 

reaper

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0% n=544... that is suspicious... or a fluke. CLSI standards is <3%
We normally run around 3-5%, but have had several months at 0% before this. That is why the lab sent the email out.

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GMCmedic

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Small data sample but as of Monday we have administered antibiotics to 11 patients in 2 months. 5 of those patients did not have labs drawn cause they were going to another system. Of the 6 we transported within our system, all 6 had labs drawn with 0 contamination.

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reaper

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You are administering abx without culture draws? We won't do that. If you cannot draw cultures for some reason, then we do not administer the abx.

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GMCmedic

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You are administering abx without culture draws? We won't do that. If you cannot draw cultures for some reason, then we do not administer the abx.

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Yes. I think I mentioned it earlier in the thread that the other hospital refuses to use our culture tubes and wont give us access to theirs. Our medical director has said to give them anyway.

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reaper

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Oh ok, my bad, I did remember that now.

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Summit

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You are administering abx without culture draws? We won't do that. If you cannot draw cultures for some reason, then we do not administer the abx.

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I mean... I'm a huge fan of cultures first so you can narrow things up, but if someone is septic, the data say delaying abx is deadly.
 

reaper

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I mean... I'm a huge fan of cultures first so you can narrow things up, but if someone is septic, the data say delaying abx is deadly.
Oh I agree. We know the benefit of early abx, we gathered most of the data. Out problem was both the hospital systems did not want to get on board with giving abx, without cultures drawn first. So we got stuck in that bit.

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johnrsemt

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Different thought along the same lines: Drawing blood for the police department for drugs or alcohol.

Anyone do it off an ambulance?
 

reaper

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My old service we did blood draws for LEO on DUIs. They carried kits and gave them to us as they needed it done. Really depends on state laws.

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GMCmedic

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We do them but not very often. I havent quite figured out what the circumstances are that we do the draws.

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johnrsemt

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For my PT job, it is 2 hours to the closest hospital to take a prisoner to have it done, interesting thing is the county pays the person who does it $125 a draw. Better pay than transports
 

NomadicMedic

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LEO blood draws are currently prohibited in our protocols, but they will be running all the medics through a class to certify that we have been trained do a legal draw. LEOs will carry the kits, medics will do the draw and LEO will witness and reclaim custody of the kit and sample.
 

DesertMedic66

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Different thought along the same lines: Drawing blood for the police department for drugs or alcohol.

Anyone do it off an ambulance?
Where I did my internship time at we were allowed to do them but could only use the LEO kits. I never did it and never heard of anyone actually doing it.
 

Ensihoitaja

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We do DUI blood draws from time-to-time, but ironically never for Denver- just for some of our neighboring cities that we cover. Police provide the kits, we do the draw. I sign my part, he signs his.

I know of multiple other Colorado EMS services that do DUI draws, too.
 

Tigger

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We do DUI blood draws from time-to-time, but ironically never for Denver- just for some of our neighboring cities that we cover. Police provide the kits, we do the draw. I sign my part, he signs his.

I know of multiple other Colorado EMS services that do DUI draws, too.
We do them here. We cover a bit of Park County and they will drive them to our station rather than an hour plus to the closest hospital. Sucks to wake up in the middle of the night to do them (really only every few months), but the money made goes into a station improvement fund, which I thought was cool of our chief.
 
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