Clinical Evidence

How to evaluate Clinical Studies of BCC Technology

Three factors influence the efficacy of technology designed to reduce blood culture contamination (BCC) rates:

Sample Definition – Does it include all cultures drawn over a period or only those drawn WITH the device?
Method Inclusion – Does it account for cultures drawn by all methods (venipuncture, syringe draws, and peripheral IV catheter)?
Environmental Control – Was the use of the technology heavily policed or were clinicians acting autonomously in using the device?

Published Kurin Studies

When Kurin is consistently used, hospitals significantly reduce blood culture contamination (BCC) rates below the 1% target and achieve substantial cost savings.

Reducing the blood culture contamination rate in the Emergency Department: a good start

In an 8-week trial of Kurin Lock in the Emergency Department, clinicians from Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, Ireland, report a 73% reduction in blood culture contamination rates compared to the traditional collection method with a high probability of cost savings. Poster Presentation #P1939 Congress of the European Society of  Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, 2025

Effect of Kurin on blood culture contamination rates and cost savings

In a multi-site study of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) hospitals, the authors assessed blood culture contamination rates and associated cost savings using Kurin®, which helped achieved an average BCC rate of 1.9% and an estimated annual cost savings of $1,063,967. Laboratory Investigation, March 2025. DOI: 10.1016/j.labinv.2024.104050

Do blood contamination reduction devices work? A single institution comparison

In a comparison of two initial specimen diversion devices, the device-specific contamination rates were 0.68% for the Kurin® device and 0.8% for the Steripath device. In user surveys, Steripath was rated worse than the standard of care by 73% of users, as compared to 30% for Kurin. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. Published online Nov 25, 2024. doi:10.1017/ice.2024.169

Prospective trial of a passive diversion device to reduce blood culture contamination

The effectiveness of a blood diversion device (BDD) [Kurin®] in a prospective trial within two emergency departments of an academic medical center resulted in significantly lower blood culture contamination rates, with a stronger effect noted for higher acuity patients. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2024 Dec 27;12(1):ofae751.

Implementation of an initial specimen blood culture diversion device to reduce blood culture contamination: lessons learned

The authors report that implementation of the Kurin Lock® with best practice education lowered blood culture contamination in large academic and community hospital settings. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. Published online Oct. 25, 2024. doi:10.1017/ice.2024.152

Asynchronous Testing of 2 Specimen-Diversion Devices to Reduce Blood Culture Contamination: A Single-site Product Supply Quality Improvement Project

Based on their published findings, Arenas and colleagues recommend that initial specimen diversion devices be adopted as part of a bundle of interventions for sustained reduction of blood culture contaminations in emergency clinical practice. Journal of Emergency Nursing 2021 Jan 8:S0099-1767(20)30383-4.

Reducing False-Positive Blood Cultures: Using a Blood Diversion Device

Dr. David M. O’Sullivan and registered nurse Lee Steere describe the reduction in false-positive blood cultures at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, CT with Kurin® passive diversion technology. Connecticut Medicine. February 2019: Vol 83(2): pages 53-56.

Reduction of False Positive Blood Culture Rates using a Passive Blood Diversion Device in an Urban Academic Pediatric Emergency Department

Christina Ostwald and Kelly Whitsell reported finding from John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital, Buffalo, New York, related to the use of a novel passive blood diversion device in addition to staff education In a Pediatric Emergency Department with the goal of decreasing blood culture contamination rates. Poster Presentation APIC 2021

Decreasing Blood Culture Contamination Rates When Using an Initial Peripheral IV: Implementing the 5 P’s and Using a Closed System Device

Denise Rhew and Wendy Childress report the results of a study completed within the emergency department of Cone Health in Greensboro, NC, which showed that when Kurin was used, contamination rates fell from 3.1% to 1.3% to 0% during a five-week controlled trial. Nur Primary Care. 2021; 5(3): 1-6.

Impact on Emergency Department Blood Culture Contamination

Jeannie Burnie and Samantha Vining of TriHealth published blood culture contamination reduction data from two hospital locations. Clinical Nurse Specialist: Nov/Dec 2021.

Reducing False-Positive Blood Cultures in Adult A&E using a Initial Specimen Diversion Device

Jane Hodson, James Stebbing, Catherine Graham and Siobhan O’ Donnell have published the first Kurin data from outside the US. The study was presented at the Infection Prevention Society Conference in Liverpool, England, September 2021.

Prospective Trial of Passive Diversion Device to Reduce Blood Culture Contamination

Doctor Sami Arnaout, affiliated with UMass Memorial Health Care in Worcester, MA, presented data from their trial of Kurin blood culture collection sets at the 2021 ID Week, September 29 - October 3, 2021

Passive Engineering Controls Result in Sustained 66% Reduction in Blood Culture Contamination

Monica Baxter, Carolyn Cook and Angie James from St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center, Russellville, Arkansas. Decennial International Conference on Healthcare-Associated Infections 2020.

Preventing Blood Culture Contamination using a Novel Engineered Passive Blood Diversion Device

Jared Sutton, MPH, CIC, led a multidisciplinary team at Bayfront Health in St. Petersburg, FL to quantify the clinical and financial impact of Kurin® specimen diversion. APIC. June 13-15, 2018 Minneapolis, MN

Not Your “Average” ED: A CNS-Led Project That Reduced Blood Culture Contaminations in One Emergency Department to Below Expected Levels

Michael Allain, MS, RN, ACNS-BC, CCRN, describes the impact of Kurin® specimen diversion in the Emergency Department at Crouse Hospital, Syracuse, NY. Clinical Nurse Specialist. May/June 2018

Customer Case Studies

Explore real-world challenges and the solutions that hospitals have implemented to overcome them.

Children’s Hospital Achieves Zero Contaminations with Kurin Lock

In the first published study of Kurin use in a pediatric hospital, ED staff achieved ZERO BCCs when using Kurin – an ~80% decrease from their pre-study average.

Anticipating new CMS metrics, AZ Hospital finds BCC Solution

After another product was trialed and rejected by nurses, the use of Kurin Jet sustainably reduced BCC by 72% to ~1.5%.

It takes more than Education!

One ED shares its multi-year effort to reduce contamination with a multipronged approach, reaching below 1% only when it implemented Kurin.

Kurin helps Hospital Go from Good to Great

A community-based hospital could not maintain a sub-1% BCC rate with diversion until Kurin was introduced and helped achieve a 9-month average rate of 0.49%.

Strategy for Avoiding False-positive CLABSIs

To address blood culture contamination, an academic hospital made progress with education and a best practices bundle, but only achieved their goal of eliminating false positive CLABSIs by using Kurin.

Kurin Helps Entire Health System Achieve 1%

A four-hospital health system in the southern US employed blood culture collection technology to reduce their contamination rate from above 6.0% to below 1% with Kurin.

A Comprehensive Update on the Problem of Blood Culture Contamination and a Discussion of Methods for Addressing the Problem

Doern GV, Carroll KC, Diekema DJ, Garey KW, Rupp ME, Weinstein MP, Sexton DJ. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2019 Oct 30;33(1). University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa.

Antibiotic Resistance Threats in United States 2019

Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Atlanta, GA. Revised December 2019

Assessment of Cost, Morbidity, and Mortality Associated with Blood Culture Contamination

Davis KA, Painter J, Lakkad M, Dare RK Open Forum Infectious Diseases, 6 (2): S676. October 2019.

Multidisciplinary team review of best practices for collection and handling of blood cultures to determine effective interventions for increasing the yield of true-positive bacteremia, reducing contamination, and eliminating false-positive central line-associated bloodstream infections

Garcia RA et. Am J Infect Control. 2015 Nov 1;43(11):1222-37. Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, NY

Impact of blood cultures drawn by phlebotomy on contamination rates and health care costs in a hospital emergency department

Gander RM, Byrd L, DeCrescenzo M, Hirany S, Bowen M, Baughman J J Clin Microbiol. 2009 Apr;47(4):1021-4. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas

A national survey of interventions and practices in the prevention of blood culture contamination and associated adverse health care events

Garcia RA, Spitzer ED, Kranz B, Barnes S. Am J Infect Control. 2018 May;46(5):571-576. Epub 2017 Feb 1. Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, NY

Blood culture use in the emergency department in patients hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia

Makam AN, Auerbach AD, Steinman MA. JAMA Intern Med. 2014 May;174(5):803-6. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas

Updated Review of Blood Culture Contamination

Hall and Lyman Clin Microbiol Rev. 2006 Oct; 19(4): 788–802. University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia

Analysis of strategies to improve cost effectiveness of blood cultures

Zwang O, Albert RK. J Hosp Med. 2006 Sep;1(5):272-6. Denver Health Med Center, Denver CO

Reducing blood culture contamination in the emergency department: an interrupted time series quality improvement study

Self WH, Speroff T, Grijalva CG, McNaughton CD, Ashburn J, Liu D, Arbogast PG, Russ S, Storrow AB, Talbot TR. Acad Emerg Med. 2013 Jan;20(1):89-97. Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN

Reducing the blood culture contamination rate in a pediatric emergency department and subsequent cost savings

Hall RT, Domenico HJ, Self WH, Hain PD. Pediatrics. 2013 Jan;131(1):e292-7. Monroe Carell Jr Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Nashville, Tennessee

Effectiveness of a Novel Specimen Collection System in Reducing Blood Culture Contamination Rates

Bell M, Bogar C, Plante J, Rasmussen K, Winters S. J Emerg Nurs. 2018 Apr 20. pii: S0099-1767(17)30148-4. Lee Health Fort Meyers, FL; Cape Coral, FL.

Reduction in Blood Culture Contamination Through Use of Initial Specimen Diversion Device

Rupp ME, Cavalieri RJ, Marolf C, Lyden E. Clin Infect Dis. 2017 Jul 15;65(2):201-205. University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE

Innovation for Reducing Blood Culture Contamination: Initial Specimen Diversion Technique

Patton RG, Schmitt T. J Clin Microbiol. 2010 Dec;48(12):4501-3. Northwest Hospital and Medical, Seattle, WA.

Eliminating Blood Culture False Positives: Harnessing the Power of Nursing Shared Governance

Moeller D. J Emerg Nurs. 2017 Mar;43(2):126-132. Advocate Health, Illinois

Reducing Blood Culture Contaminations in the Emergency Department: It Takes a Team

Bowen CM, Coleman T, Cunningham D. J Emerg Nurs. 2016 Jul;42(4):306-11. Kennedy Health, Cherry Hill, NJ.

Using lean management to reduce blood culture contamination

Sinnott PL, Breckenridge JS, Helgerson P, Asch S. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf. 2015 Jan;41(1):26-2. Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, California, USA

Cost analysis of strategies to reduce blood culture contamination in the emergency department: sterile collection kits and phlebotomy teams

Self WH, Talbot TR, Paul BR, Collins SP, Ward MJ. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2014 Aug;35(8):1021-8. Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN

Reducing blood culture contamination in community hospital emergency departments: a multicenter evaluation of a quality improvement intervention

Self WH, Mickanin J, Grijalva CG, Grant FH, Henderson MC, Corley G, Blaschke Ii DG, McNaughton CD, Barrett TW, Talbot TR, Paul BR. Acad Emerg Med. 2014 Mar;21(3):274-82. Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN.

Reducing false-positive peripheral blood cultures in a pediatric emergency department

Marini MA, Truog AW. J Emerg Nurs. 2013 Sep;39(5):440-6. Children’s Hospital Boston, Boston, MA, USA.

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Clinical Evidence

How to evaluate Clinical Studies of BCC Technology

Published Kurin Studies

Customer Case Studies

BCC Literature