Bacterial Culture and Gram Stain, Respiratory, Bronchoscopy (BAL)
Test Mnemonic
BALCSM
Primary CPT Codes
- 87071 - QTY (1), Culture, Bacterial, Aerobic, Quantitative
- 87205 - QTY (1), Smear, Gram Stain
Variable CPT Codes (dependent on findings)
- 87015 - QTY (1), Processing, Fluid Concentration
- 87077 - QTY (1), Identification, Aerobic Isolate
- 87106 - QTY (1), Identification, Yeast
- 87181 - QTY (1), Susceptibility, Agar Dilution, per agent
- 87184 - QTY (1), Susceptibility, Disk Method, per plate
- 87185 - QTY (1), Susceptibility, Enzyme Detection, per enzyme
- 87186 - QTY (1), Susceptibility, Multi-antimicrobial
- 87186 - QTY (1), Susceptibility, Multi-antimicrobial, Phoenix
- 87186 - QTY (1), Susceptibility, Multi-antimicrobial Sensititre
- 87186 - QTY (1), Susceptibility, Mutlti-antimicrobial Vitek
- 87015 - QTY (1), Processing, Cytospin
- 87153 - QTY (1), Identification, Nucleic Acid Sequencing
- 87182 - QTY (1), Susceptibility, Carbapenamase Enzyme detection, per isolate
LOINC ®
43441-5
Aliases
- BAL culture
- Lower Respiratory Culture
- Brushing
Performing Laboratory
Cleveland Clinic Laboratories
Specimen Requirements
| Volume | Type | Container | Collect Temperature | Transport Temperature | Special Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unspecified | Brushing (s), bronch | Sterile container | Refrigerated | Refrigerated | Protected brush specimen |
| Unspecified | Bronch (BAL) | Sterile container | Refrigerated | Refrigerated | Bronchoalveolar lavage only |
Stability
| Environmental Condition | Description |
|---|---|
| Ambient | Unacceptable |
| Refrigerated | 24 hours |
| Frozen | Unacceptable |
Days Performed
Sun - Sat
Turnaround Time
7 days
Methodology
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Culture, Identification | |
| Gram Stain |
Reference Range
Special Info
Quantitative culture for the recovery of aerobic bacteria is performed on respiratory specimens collected during bronchoscopy. Separate test orders are required to rule out the presence of mycobacteria, fungi, viruses, and atypical bacterial pathogens in respiratory specimens.
Clinical Info
Distinguishing colonizing organisms from pathogens can be difficult. Susceptibility testing is performed on potential pathogens found in significant quantity. Correlation of culture results with clinical findings is essential.
Reflex Tests
The following additional test(s) may be ordered depending on results: