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Life sciences · Journal article
BMC Infectious Diseases · August 25, 2026
Encouraging direction, but not yet definitive.
In this single-centre retrospective cohort, earlier timing of follow-up blood cultures (within 48 hours for SAB, and performing them at all for candidemia) was associated with shorter time to culture clearance, reduced length of treatment, and improved survival in multivariate Cox regression. The findings are observational and confounded by clinical acuity and management practice; causation cannot be inferred and prospective validation is needed.
Retrospective cohort study. Patients admitted to the institution with Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia or candidemia; deaths within 72 hours excluded.. Intervention: Timing of follow-up blood cultures (time to first FUBC, categorised as within 48 hours or not performed). Compared with: Delayed or absent follow-up blood cultures. n = 355. Single institution (not specified).
Time to first follow-up blood cultures correlated significantly with length of treatment in both SAB (rho=0.31, p=0.02) and candidemia (rho=0.37, p<0.001) Time to first follow-up blood cultures strongly correlated with time to first negative culture in SAB (rho=0.88, p<0.001) and candidemia (rho=0.66, p<0.001) Follow-up blood cultures within 48 hours associated with improved survival in SAB (HR 0.26, 95% CI 0.07–0.91, p=0.04)
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The study suggests that prompt follow-up blood cultures (within 48 hours for SAB, performed at all for candidemia) may be associated with better outcomes including faster culture clearance and improved survival. However, the retrospective design and survival bias preclude causal inference; clinicians should view this as supporting current guideline recommendations pending prospective confirmation.
A retrospective cohort study with clear associations between timing of follow-up blood cultures and outcomes (length of treatment, time to culture clearance, and survival in Cox regression), but limited by single-centre design, retrospective conduct, and modest effect sizes that require confirmation in prospective studies.
As stated by the source record.
Quoted from the source exactly as published.
The study suggests that prompt follow-up blood cultures (within 48 hours for SAB, performed at all for candidemia) may be associated with better outcomes including faster culture clearance and improved survival. However, the retrospective design and survival bias preclude causal inference; clinicians should view this as supporting current guideline recommendations pending prospective confirmation.
Graded across the dimensions that decide whether you should act, each from what the source actually supports. There is no single score, and where a dimension was not assessed it says so.
Guidelines recommend performing follow-up blood cultures (FUBCs) in patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB) and candidemia due to increased mortality in persistent infections, but their impact on length of stay (LOS), length of treatment (LOT), and time to the first negative FUBCs has been less described. Patients admitted to our Institution with SAB or candidemia were included. Correlation between time to first FUBCs and outcomes were performed using Spearman rank test. We performed survival analysis using a multivariate Cox regression model. Patients dying before 72 h were excluded to limit survival bias. The study included 217 patients with SAB and 138 patients with candidemia. The correlation between time to first FUBCs and LOS was statistically significant for SAB (rho =0,19; p value 0,05), but not for candidemia (rho= 0,37; p value 0,08). Time to first FUBCs correlated significantly with LOT in both groups (SAB rho =0,31; p value =0,02; candidemia rho=0,37; p value <0,001) and first negative FUBCs (SAB rho =0,88; p value <0,001; candidemia rho=0,66; p value <0,001). In multivariate Cox regression model, FUBCs within 48 hours (HR 0,26 (0,07 – 0,91), p value 0,04) were associated with improved survival for SAB, while not performing FUBCs (HR 3,31 (1,04 – 10,60), p value 0,02) affected survival in patients with candidemia. These results show that delaying FUBCs was associated with a deleterious impact on LOT, LOS, and culture clearance. Furthermore, our findings highlight the importance of timely follow-up blood cultures within the integrated care of these infections, together with source control, effective antimicrobial therapy, and infectious disease consultation to improve survival.
Taken from the source record, never inferred. Follow any of these and new work involving them reaches your briefing.