Second Time's the Charm? Assessing the Sensitivity and Yield of Inpatient Diagnostic Algorithms for Pulmonary Tuberculosis in a Low-Prevalence Setting.

Tuberculosis diagnostic testing with 2 AFB smears offered the same yield as 3 AFB smears while potentially reducing laboratory burden and duration of airborne infection isolation. Use of 1 or 2 NAATs increased sensitivity to detect culture-positive pulmonary tuberculosis when added to AFB smear-based diagnostic testing alone.