Bedside inoculation accelerates detection and improves microbiological diagnosis efficiency compared to delayed inoculation.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the differences in effects between bedside inoculation and traditional delayed inoculation methods in diagnosing wound infections, focusing on positivity rates, diagnostic cycles, and therapeutic outcomes.

METHODS

This prospective interventional study was conducted at the Wound Treatment Center of West China Hospital, Sichuan University, from April 2023 to July 2024. Patients were randomly assigned to a bedside inoculation group (n=132) or a delayed inoculation group (n=132). The effectiveness of the two methods was compared based on wound culture outcomes, bacterial species identified, detection of rare bacteria, wound healing rates, and patient satisfaction.

RESULTS

The bedside inoculation group had a significantly shorter detection report time compared to the delayed inoculation group (P<0.001). It also demonstrated a higher rate of detecting complex microbiomes (P=0.003). After 4 weeks, wound area reduction was significantly greater in the bedside group (P<0.001), and this difference remained significant at 8 weeks. The bedside group also had higher Barthel index scores (P<0.05), better wound healing scores (P<0.001), and greater patient satisfaction (P<0.001) than the delayed group.

CONCLUSION

Bedside inoculation enhances wound infection diagnosis by accelerating result turnaround, reducing overtreatment, and promoting faster healing, ultimately improving patient care.