CDC issues advisory on critical shortage of blood culture bottles

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued an advisory alerting health care providers, laboratory professionals and others in health care settings of a critical shortage of Becton Dickinson BACTEC blood culture bottles. The shortage could lead to significant disruptions in patient care, including diagnosis delays, misdiagnoses or make the management of patients with infectious diseases more difficult, CDC said. The agency is recommending laboratory professionals and health care facility administrators who will be affected to assess plans and options to mitigate the impact on patient care.