Feebrile Neutropenia Essay

Introduction: For over 40 years febrile neutropenia (FN) has been recognized as a significant risk factor in developing life-threatening infections in cancer patients receiving myelotoxic antineoplastic agents.1 FN is often defined as neutropenia (an absolute neutrophil count less than 500 cells/mm3) in the presence of a single oral temperature of ≥ 101°F or a temperature ≥ 100.4°F sustained for one hour or longer.2 Despite advances in antimicrobial treatment and management, mortality rates in cancer patients due to neutropenic related infections remain as high as X.3
Early identification of FN is imperative for successful treatment and involves a complete history and physical exam as well as prompt administration of empiric antibiotic therapy. Traditional treatment of FN frequently involves lengthy hospital stay and intravenously administered antibiotics. The average length of hospital stay in a patient with FN is X and costs approximately X.4,5 With increasing length of
While it is standard of care for patients with fever and neutropenia to initially receive empiric antibiotics while in the emergency department, low risk patients may be effectively managed in the outpatient setting subsequent to emergent management.

Reported was a case of FN in a patient who had received one round of ABVD chemotherapy for Hodkins Lymphoma. Her total length of hospital stay was 7 days during which, her primary treatment plan consisted of IV antibiotics and granulocyte colony stimulating factor. For those patients with FN and are not at low risk, it is universally agreed that hospital admission and empiric IV antibiotic therapy along with close monitoring is appropriate. However due to outpatient antibiotic therapy should be considered in those patients who are considered to be low risk for