Any patient in a hospital setting who develops a fever or evidence of sepsis should have blood cultures sent. As sepsis is one of the leading causes of deaths, rapid identification of bloodstream infection is mandatory to perform adequate antibiotic therapy. Multiple sets of blood cultures may be required and cultures of other sites should also be considered - eg, urine, skin and throat.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original article at https://patient.info/doctor/infectious-disease/blood-cultures