Evaluation of the quality of the sputum specimen sent to the laboratory for bacterial culture is best done by

Question

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The respiratory secretions sent to the laboratory for bacterial culture should be examined microscopically via Gram-stained smear. One of the most important uses of the Gram stain is to evaluate the quality of expectorated sputum received for routine bacteriologic culture. An acceptable specimen yields less than 10 squamous epithelial cells per low-power field (100×).

Evaluation of the Quality of the Sputum Specimen Sent to the Laboratory