BacteremiaNCT07183410
Impact of Blood Cultures Drawn From Arterial Lines on the Incidence of Contamination, Detection of Bacteremia, and Blood Culture Volume
An observational study of Bacteremia, run by Meir Medical Center at 1 site in Israel.
Trial summary
Taking blood cultures is an important and very common procedure in intensive care units due to the high incidence of sepsis and the need for rapid and accurate identification of bacteremia. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 99 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Bacteremia
- What is being tested?
- Blood culture taken from an arterial catheter
- How many people
- 1,500 participants
- Where
- 1 siteIsrael
- Study dates
- 1 Jan 2026to 1 Jun 2028
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 99 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Study population: All patients admitted to the intensive care unit in our hospital between January 2024 and January 2027 who had blood cultures taken as part of their routine care.
Inclusion Criteria:All patients aged 18-99 years who had blood cultures taken as part of their routine care in the intensive care unit for any reason, from January 2024 to January 2027.
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Exclusion Criteria:Missing data or patients who did not fullfil the above criteria.
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Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Israel1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Meir Medical Center
Kfar Saba
Sara Dichtwald, Dr., 972-9-7472133 ext. 1, sara.dichtwald@clalit.org.il
About this study
Official title: Impact of Blood Cultures Drawn From Arterial Lines on the Incidence of Contamination, Detection of Bacteremia, and Blood Culture Volume: an Observational Study
Taking blood cultures is an important and very common procedure in intensive care units due to the high incidence of sepsis and the need for rapid and accurate identification of bacteremia. However, despite the importance of taking a sufficient volume of blood for the purpose of identifying bacterial growth in the blood, the average blood volume in blood cultures at our institution ranges from 3.5-4 ml per bottle (where the desired volume is 10 ml). Taking an insufficient amount of blood reduces the ability of the bacteriological laboratory to detect bacterial growth and thus may lead to a delay or missed diagnosis of bacteremia, identification of the pathogen, and adjustment of appropriate treatment according to sensitivities.
In intensive care units, most patients are monitored using an arterial catheter, which allows for frequent blood tests without the need to puncture the patient. Following recently published studies that showed that there is no significant difference in the incidence of contamination when taking blood cultures from an arterial catheter compared to a peripheral vein puncture, and in order to improve our ability to identify bacteremia, it was decided to implement a new protocol in the General Intensive Care Unit that includes taking blood cultures from an arterial catheter. According to the new protocol, it was decided that when taking blood cultures from a patient with an arterial catheter, one pair of cultures should be taken from the arterial catheter and another pair from a peripheral vein puncture.
In this study, we would like to examine the contamination rate of blood cultures, the identification of true bacteremia, and the collection of appropriate blood volume and number of blood specimens taken in patients hospitalized in the General Intensive Care Unit at our institution, while analyzing differences between the period before the implementation of the new protocol and the period after the implementation, and differences between cultures taken from an arterial catheter and from a peripheral vein puncture.
- Conditions
- Bacteremia
- Being tested
- Blood culture taken from an arterial catheter
- Medical subject headings
- Bacteremia
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Blood culture taken from an arterial catheterDiagnostic test
Blood culture taken from an arterial catheter (instead of peripheral venous puncture)
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Cultures from arterial line | From each patient enrolled in the study, two sets of blood cultures will be drawn: one set (2 bottles) from an arterial line and one set from peripheral venous puncture. Each patient will be both the study and the control group for himself: The comparison will be between the arterial line vs. the peripheral vein puncture set.
In addition, we will also perform a before and after intervention analysis- to examine whether the implementation of the new protocol improved the rate of appropriate blood culture volume and number of culture drawn from the patient . Receives: Diagnostic Test: Blood culture taken from an arterial catheter | |
| Cultures from peripheral venous puncture | From each patient enrolled in the study, two sets of blood cultures will be drawn: one set (2 bottles) from an arterial line and one set from peripheral venous puncture. Each patient will be both the study and the control group for himself: The comparison will be between the arterial line vs. the peripheral vein puncture set. In addition, we will also perform a before and after intervention analysis- to examine whether the implementation of the new protocol improved the rate of appropriate blood culture volume and number of culture drawn from the patient . |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Contamination and real bacteremia detection rates
To examine whether there are differences between the contamination rate and the detection rate of true bacteremia between blood cultures from an arterial catheter and blood cultures from a fresh puncture of a peripheral vein.
Measured: One week following blood cultures collection
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted19 Sep 2025
- Study start1 Jan 2026
- Primary completion1 Jan 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion1 Jun 2028 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for BacteremiaStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Case-control
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 1,500 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Meir Medical Center
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, sara dichtwald, Meir Medical Center
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07183410
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- MMC-0234-25-
- Status last verified
- Oct 2026
- First submitted
- 14 Sep 2025
- Last updated
- 9 Oct 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 9 Oct 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Impact of Blood Cultures Drawn From Arterial Lines on the Incidence of Contamination, Detection of Bacteremia, and Blood Culture Volume: an Observational Study
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07183410
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- MMC-0234-25-
- Conditions
- Bacteremia
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 1,500 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Meir Medical CenterUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Jan 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Jan 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 1 Jun 2028 (estimated)
- First posted
- 19 Sep 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Taking blood cultures is an important and very common procedure in intensive care units due to the high incidence of sepsis and the need for rapid and accurate identification of bacteremia. However, despite the importance of taking a sufficient volume of blood for the purpose of identifying bacterial growth in the blood, the average blood volume in blood cultures at our institution ranges from 3.5-4 ml per bottle (where the desired volume is 10 ml). Taking an insufficient amount of blood reduces the ability of the bacteriological laboratory to detect bacterial growth and thus may lead to a delay or missed diagnosis of bacteremia, identification of the pathogen, and adjustment of appropriate treatment according to sensitivities.
In intensive care units, most patients are monitored using an arterial catheter, which allows for frequent blood tests without the need to puncture the patient. Following recently published studies that showed that there is no significant difference in the incidence of contamination when taking blood cultures from an arterial catheter compared to a peripheral vein puncture, and in order to improve our ability to identify bacteremia, it was decided to implement a new protocol in the General Intensive Care Unit that includes taking blood cultures from an arterial catheter. According to the new protocol, it was decided that when taking blood cultures from a patient with an arterial catheter, one pair of cultures should be taken from the arterial catheter and another pair from a peripheral vein puncture.
In this study, we would like to examine the contamination rate of blood cultures, the identification of true bacteremia, and the collection of appropriate blood volume and number of blood specimens taken in patients hospitalized in the General Intensive Care Unit at our institution, while analyzing differences between the period before the implementation of the new protocol and the period after the implementation, and differences between cultures taken from an arterial catheter and from a peripheral vein puncture.
Study design
- Observational model
- Case-control
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Cultures from arterial line | – | Diagnostic Test: Blood culture taken from an arterial catheterFrom each patient enrolled in the study, two sets of blood cultures will be drawn: one set (2 bottles) from an arterial line and one set from peripheral venous puncture. Each patient will be both the study and the control group for himself: The comparison will be between the arterial line vs. the peripheral vein puncture set. In addition, we will also perform a before and after intervention analysis- to examine whether the implementation of the new protocol improved the rate of appropriate blood culture volume and number of culture drawn from the patient . |
| Cultures from peripheral venous puncture | – | –From each patient enrolled in the study, two sets of blood cultures will be drawn: one set (2 bottles) from an arterial line and one set from peripheral venous puncture. Each patient will be both the study and the control group for himself: The comparison will be between the arterial line vs. the peripheral vein puncture set. In addition, we will also perform a before and after intervention analysis- to examine whether the implementation of the new protocol improved the rate of appropriate blood culture volume and number of culture drawn from the patient . |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 99 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- All patients admitted to the intensive care unit in our hospital between January 2024 and January 2027 who had blood cultures taken as part of their routine care.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Blood culture taken from an arterial catheterBlood culture taken from an arterial catheter (instead of peripheral venous puncture) | Diagnostic test | Cultures from arterial line |
Primary outcome
Contamination and real bacteremia detection rates
Time frame: One week following blood cultures collection
To examine whether there are differences between the contamination rate and the detection rate of true bacteremia between blood cultures from an arterial catheter and blood cultures from a fresh puncture of a peripheral vein.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 9 Oct 2026.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Bacteremia, run by Meir Medical Center at 1 site in Israel.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 9 Oct 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Israel. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Each site lists its own contact: choose the nearest one under Trial locations. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Contamination and real bacteremia detection rates (time frame: One week following blood cultures collection). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 9 Oct 2026.