Stool Sampling

[surreal]

Here is a question, please let me know your thoughts about this:

When taking a stool sample out of a plastic "hat" that was placed in the toilet in preparation for a specimen leukocyte c diff and culture testing would you scoop it out with a sterile wooden tongue blade and place in the stool specimen cup, or tip the hat to pour the stool into the cup?

I thought that using as sterile of a technique as possible (tongue blade) would be beneficial to prevent contaminating the stool with microbes that may be accidentally poured into the specimen cup if if done by pouring.

In this particular case the hat had been used before, rinsed out of course before using again, but I'm sure there were micro-substances in the hat that, if poured into a specimen cup, may potentially change the results?

What do you think?

Thanks!

Almost done with my 1st year of nursing school, one week left!

[meownsmile, BSN, RN]

It depends on consistency of the stool. And i definately would have put a new hat in the stool if the last specimen wasnt collected. A new hat should be used until a "clean" specimen is obtained. A tongue blade would have been sufficient unless it was totally liquid stool then pouring would have been ok if it were a new hat.

[z's playa]

surreal said:

Here is a question, please let me know your thoughts about this:

When taking a stool sample out of a plastic "hat" that was placed in the toilet in preparation for a specimen leukocyte c diff and culture testing would you scoop it out with a sterile wooden tongue blade and place in the stool specimen cup, or tip the hat to pour the stool into the cup?

I thought that using as sterile of a technique as possible (tongue blade) would be beneficial to prevent contaminating the stool with microbes that may be accidentally poured into the specimen cup if if done by pouring.

In this particular case the hat had been used before, rinsed out of course before using again, but I'm sure there were micro-substances in the hat that, if poured into a specimen cup, may potentially change the results?

What do you think?

Thanks!

Almost done with my 1st year of nursing school, one week left!

Hello and welcome to allnurses ! Congratulations on finishing your first year and hey....great first thread

[DAREINGTX]

surreal said:

Here is a question, please let me know your thoughts about this:

When taking a stool sample out of a plastic "hat" that was placed in the toilet in preparation for a specimen leukocyte c diff and culture testing would you scoop it out with a sterile wooden tongue blade and place in the stool specimen cup, or tip the hat to pour the stool into the cup?

I thought that using as sterile of a technique as possible (tongue blade) would be beneficial to prevent contaminating the stool with microbes that may be accidentally poured into the specimen cup if if done by pouring.

In this particular case the hat had been used before, rinsed out of course before using again, but I'm sure there were micro-substances in the hat that, if poured into a specimen cup, may potentially change the results?

What do you think?

Thanks!

Almost done with my 1st year of nursing school, one week left!

Stool........sterile??? Not two words that should be compatible. 

[don_rhonda]

meownsmile said:

It depends on consistency of the stool. And I definately would have put a new hat in the stool if the last specimen wasnt collected. A new hat should be used until a "clean" specimen is obtained. A tongue blade would have been sufficient unless it was totally liquid stool then pouring would have been OK if it were a new hat.

As a CNA at our local rural hospital, I 2nd this decision! ?

[surreal]

Thanks guys,

I thought so. I watched this happen during one of my last clinicals. Our teachers tell us one thing and the nurses we work with tell us another. In this situation the instructors were right.

if it were me I would have wanted to get a new hat and then used the sterile tongue blade. However it was interesting to know I could also pour it into the cup, as long as there is a new hat being poured from.

This stool wasn't really stool.. it was gel consistency bright red bloody "stool" from a person found to have ischemic coliits after colonoscopy, the stool count came back with many WBC, gram pos and neg rods and some positive cocci as well. Was interesting to find this is a common disorder of large intestine, seen in younger people with oral contraceptive use. This patient was older but taking the oral contra. to prevent some complications she previously had with ruptured blood vessels in the uterus, pt also had regular low b/p of around 90/50 which increases the risk, because interference/decrease of blood flow to colon.

Anyway, thanks for the advice and laughs, stool is a pretty good topic for a 1st time posting... if you're a nursing student at least.

I don't think the stool sample was contaminated this time, however good to be mindful about collecting such things.. wouldn't want to interfere with tests that could help determine care our patients receive.

Thanks!