Bacterial wound culture
(Wound culture)

Sample Type

A sterile swab may be used to collect cells or pus from a superficial wound site and deeper wounds.

Uses

To help determine whether a wound is infected and to identify the bacteria causing the infection.

Precautions

1. With burn wounds, the type and number of bacteria that grow are correlated to the severity of the infection.

2. When burn tissue specimens have a specific bacterial count above a certain number, then removal of dead tissue may be indicated.

Interfering factors

Wound culture results may be less predictive of what is causing the infection when a person has already been treated with antibiotics or when a person has a chronic infection.

Pre Analytical Errors

1. Errors in patient preparation,

2. Errors in sample collection.

Corrective action

1. Preparing the patient before test.

2. Correct sample collection.

Post analytical errors

1. Failure to report test results.

2. delay in reporting.

Corrective actions

Review the report before submitting it, but if the report is delivered to the patient must inform him of the right.