Top answers from doctors based on your search:
how long can sputum sample be saved before tested
A member asked:
Dr. Luis Villaplana answered
35 years experience Internal Medicine
Hours to days: Depends on what you are looking for.
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Dr. Douglas Arenberg answered
31 years experience Pulmonary Critical Care
Hours to weeks: Most bacteria take hours to days to appear in culture. Bugs that cause TB and related infections can take up to 2 months. Some bugs can't be grown i ... Read More
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4 thanks
90,000 U.S. doctors in 147 specialties are here to answer your questions or offer you advice, prescriptions, and more. Get help now:
A 43-year-old member asked:
Dr. Joseph Eastern answered
44 years experience Dermatology
You spit it out.: Basically, you hock up a logey and spit it into a sterile cup. If you can't hock up any phlegm, for whatever reason, they go in after it with a thin t ... Read More
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A 44-year-old member asked:
A Verified Doctor answered
A US doctor answered Learn more
Too genera: What do you consider a long time? Are you sick? Are you young or old? What are your medical issues/history? What do you mean with sputum? There is a ... Read More
A 37-year-old female asked:
Dr. Michael Dugan answered
Specializes in Hematology
The most: Important information would be the presence of inflammatory cells supporting an infection, and more specifically bacteria. If present the culture can ... Read More
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A 62-year-old female asked:
Dr. Albert Pizzo answered
60 years experience Family Medicine
Sputum colors: You may be describing infected or blood streaked sputum. This requires a physical examination and testing to determine the cause. This should not be ... Read More
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Richard Williams answered
18 years experience Pharmacy
Infections: sputum comes from further down the throat and respiratory tact while spit is from the mouth. Throat and upper respiratory infections can be cheek by s ... Read More
A 43-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Frymark answered
46 years experience Dentistry
Rinse with water: Sputum is the thick mucus or phlegm that is expelled from the lower respiratory tract through coughing. It is not saliva or spit.
Rinse your mout ... Read More
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A 49-year-old female asked:
Dr. Edgar Mendizabal answered
55 years experience Internal Medicine
You need a chest : Xray and an exam.
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A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Martin Raff answered
56 years experience Infectious Disease
Bacteria in sputum?: Multiple questions. How would you know there were bacteria in your sputum? Are you sure it was sputum and not saliva? Do you have any symptoms? Bacter ... Read More
A 31-year-old member asked:
Dr. Pamela Pappas answered
42 years experience Psychiatry
It depends: It depends on how frequently you've been using, and whether you have a bronchitis or other infection going on, etc. Smoking anything -- including mar ... Read More
90,000 U.S. doctors in 147 specialties are here to answer your questions or offer you advice, prescriptions, and more. Get help now:
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