English

Abstract

Febrile neutropenia is defined as a fever >101°F for 1 hour, with an absolute neutrophil count of ≤500 cells/microliter, or an ANC of ≤1000 cells/microliter with a projected nadir of ≤500 cells/microliter. In haematological malignancies it is the common complication and requires broad- spectrum antibacterial therapy. Clinical examination and cultures fail to detect a pathogen or an infectious focus in 25-50%, which are classified as pyrexia of unknown origin (PUO). Patient with pyrexia of unknown origin may receive long duration of antibiotic treatment as the cause is unclear of being infective or not. Febrile neutropenia is a common complication of many chemotherapeutic regimens for all types of cancers. Mortality and Morbidity is high particularly in elderly, immuno- compromised. Approximately 20- 40 % of patients with severe sepsis and 45-60% patients with septic shock die within 15-20 days. This study was done to know the sources of infection and to assess the diagnostic value of serum Procalcitonin and its relation with mortality in various stages of sepsis. Sepsis incidence was more in patient age more than 55yrs. the most common source of sepsis was respiratory tract infection. Serum PCT proved to be an indicator of sepsis in ill patients, with sensitivity of 91%. Presence of both persistent and profound neutropenia was associated with a much higher mortality. The occurrence of infection is directly proportional to the degree of neutropenia, at the onset of fever the PCT levels will not be helpful for the decision to start or stop the antibacterial therapy, and a PCT value higher than 0.5ng/ml in pyrexia of unknown origin might suggest a possibility of occult infection, i.e. with lacking microbiological and clinical documentation. A delayed PCT peak higher than0.5ng/ml contributes to the early diagnosis of fungal disease.