Public Health Agencies Warn of Critical Blood Culture Bottle Shortage

July 24, 2024

The CDC and state public health officials are warning hospitals this week about a critical shortage of Becton Dickinson (BD) BACTEC blood culture media bottles that could disrupt patient care.

A new alert from the CDC noted that providers should prepare now, as the shortage could lead to delays in diagnosis, misdiagnosis, or other challenges in the clinical management of patients with certain infectious diseases.

In a statement earlier this month, Nikos Pavlidis, worldwide president of BD Diagnostic Solutions, said the issue stemmed from reduced availability of the blood culture vials from its supplier.

"We take our responsibility to support health care providers and patients very seriously and, while we are able to meet the majority of global demand, we are taking all available measures to address this important issue,” Pavlidis said.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Background:  Blood cultures are critical for providers to diagnose patients with bloodstream infections and associated conditions (endocarditis, catheter-related bloodstream infections, and sepsis).
• What it means:  Providers and health care facilities may experience delays in supply of BD blood culture media bottles over the coming months. They should assess their stockpile and develop plans to limit the impact of the shortage.
• What to do:  Providers and phlebotomists should implement best practices to optimize the use of blood cultures at your facility; take steps to prevent blood culture contamination; and ensure that the appropriate volume is collected when collecting blood for culture.
  • Additional recommendations for lab professionals, administrators, and health departments are also included within the advisory.
• Local considerations:  In Pennsylvania, providers with questions should contact the Department of Health at (877)-PA-HEALTH (1-877-724-3258) or your local health department.
• Where to report:  Supply chain challenges and suspected adverse event reports can be can be submitted online to the FDA.

The CDC’s alert is available online.

For questions, contact Lauren Geary, BS, RRT-NPS, CIC, project manager, infection prevention, Mary T. Catanzaro, RN BSMT (ASCP) CIC FAPIC, project manager, infection prevention.