Help with Sputum Culture Results

[Justinsmom]

I just got a copy of my 7 year old son's sputum culture report. His doctor is out of town, but was told they would watch it but no treatment now. My question is what does it mean? Heavy mixed respiratory flora at 3 days. Positive at 3 days. Org 1: Light Staphlococcus Aureus. Then it gives antibiotic results. I understand the light staph and assume the antibiotics is related to the staph, but don't understand the first part. Is "heavy mixed respiratory flora" normal in sputum? Positive for what? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[ymikhale]

i would say that it means there were many different germs present at day 3 adn the culture was positive. In the end they identified staph in small numbers, that is why they are watching it. hope it helps

 

[NoelA]

I think when the term "flora" is involved, the test is referring to normal microflora. That's bacteria that we all carry like K. pneumonia, certain Staph strains, etc. They typically don't cause a problem and are sometimes good until their growth gets out of control. Sometimes when you take antibiotics, they knock out good bacteria and other's can grow quickly. They take up the new space that was once inhibited by other bacteria held and the immune system can't control it on it's own, so you have to get MORE meds I guess that's why they're keeping an eye on it so that they can catch if anything gets out of whack.

 

[AshleyOlvey]

On May 22nd we went in for our 1st "birthday appointment" & my daughter apparently swabbed positive for Pseudomonas. However, we never got this result until the day after we were admitted to the hospital (8 day stay) 7 weeks after our swab was taken. The Pulmonologist that was rounding asked how long we have been on Tobi nebs. I replied "We have never been on Tobi, why would we be? We have never swabbed + for anything?" That's when he told me, "On May 22 her cultures grew pseudomonas. Not exactly certain as to why your Pulmonologist wouldn't have started your daughter on Tobi nebs? I'll have to follow up with her." The Pulmonologist who informed me of the Pseudomonas later told me that our clinic's coordinator got replaced the week of our May 22nd appointment and her results never got read so there was no follow-up. He apologized for this and said it was no excuse and the director had been notified. I know we are human and we all make mistakes from time to time, but we had a very small chance of getting rid of pseudomonas (if we had caught it right away) and I feel like they blew any chance of us getting rid of it by missing it for 7 more weeks. I don't think anyone should lose their job over this, but something needs to be done to prevent this from happening again to anyone else. I am an ICU RN, so I'm probably a little more aggressive with these things than some other parents of CF kids, but I worry that things are getting missed even moreso in those whose parents' aren't so educated on these things. Any similar problems with anyone else? Any ideas on what actions I should take if any?

 

[Ratatosk]

We always request a copy of DS lab results. All to many times I've gotten a call from the local clinic just days after the culture was taken and have been told "normal flora" only to find out later DS is culturing Steno. Maltophilia or other bugs. So my advice would be to request lab results, which should also indicate sensitivities and have your doctor be aggressive in treatment. When DS cultured nonmucoid pseudomonas, his doctor put him on Tobi and we were told he needed "x" number of clear cultures before they'd consider stopping tobi nebs. Seemed like he'd get a clear culture, then he'd culture it again. So he was on it for quite a while. Nowdays he mostly cultures steno. maltophilia, which started with a dry, throat clearing cough, which we thought was just a habit. Once he was put on the correct ABX for it, the cough stopped and he didn't culture it for awhile.

 

[JENNYC]

Oh Ashley...I would be so upset!! I am like you and don't think anyone should get fired and I totally understand that we are all human and mistakes will happen but bless your heart!! That's a big one to miss! Hopefully Tobi will go ahead and knock it out. I am trying to think logically, we only go in 4 times a year to get checked so technically you could contract it while you are at clinic and then not catch it until 3 months later at next clinic. So you might still be ok. So sorry this happened to you!!