Sputum Analysis Health Article

Definition

Sputum is a substance comprised of mucous, foreign matter, and saliva that is found in the lungs or bronchial tree. A sputum analysis is a group of tests performed in a laboratory on a sputum specimen obtained from a sick patient. A portion of the sputum specimen is stained and put on a slide for examination of cells and organisms. Another portion of the specimen is put on an agar plate to see if infectious organisms grow and can be identified. Some of the sputum may be placed in special solutions to test for specific diseases.

Purpose

The purpose of a sputum analysis is to help identify microorganisms that are causing respiratory disease or infection. The most common reason for obtaining a sputum specimen is to test for infectious tuberculosis. A sputum analysis, however, is also used to identify disease-producing organisms that may be causing pneumonia, bronchitis, lung abscess, or other respiratory disease. A sputum analysis may be used to identify conditions such as: aspiration pneumonia, histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, blastomycosis, mycoplasma pneumonia, plague, mycobacterial infection, and pneumocystic pneumonia.

Precautions

A sputum specimen should not be collected immediately following a meal because the sputum or the process of collecting the sputum may cause gagging and vomiting.

Good hand washing and the use of gloves are necessary when collecting a sputum specimen. A disposable gown and filter-mask should be worn if reactivated infectious tuberculosis is suspected.

About 1 teaspoon (3-5 cc) of sputum should be collected to have a sufficient quantity for proper testing. The specimen cup should not be left at the bedside for the client to randomly spit into. Specimens must be fresh and taken immediately to the laboratory for effective analysis.

KEY TERMS

Agar—A gelatinous culture media used in laboratories to grow microorganisms such as bacteria.

Bronchoscopy—The examination of the inside of a client's airway and bronchus by a physician using a flexible scope connected to a light source and video camera.

Sputum—A substance coughed up from the airway, bronchi or lungs comprised of saliva, foreign matter, and mucous.

The specimen must be coughed up from the lungs or bronchial tree. It can be mixed with saliva, but a specimen that is only saliva is not adequate for proper testing.

An infant or young child cannot cough up sputum on command. Sputum specimens must be obtained with a nasal-pharyngeal aspirator connected to a mucous trap or by bronchial washings performed during a bronchoscopy. If using a nasal-pharyngeal aspirator, the tubing must have a one way valve on the testers side of the tubing to prevent the inhalation of infected droplets from the patient or a trap that connects directly to a suction apparatus.

The use of antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, or steroids may affect the test results. If the patient is receiving any of these medications, the physician should be notified, and it should be notified on the laboratory slip.