Current guidelines suggest obtaining a blood culture in any hospitalized child whose community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is "moderate or severe," including those with complicated pneumonia.

Modern laboratory diagnosis places high requirements to the processes of blood collection ... for cutting through rubber part of cap of tubes. The rubber stopper on the needle is necessary ...

Although 5% to 20% of patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) have positive blood cultures, studies have shown that culture results rarely change antibiotic choices in CAP patients who ...