Post chemotherapy febrile neutropenia. Length of stay and experience in our population

Abstract

IntroductionInfections are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in cancer patients (mortality is estimated at around 3%). Febrile neutropenia often leads to the hospitalisation of cancer patients, increasing the risk of nosocomial infection, as well as health costs due to the hospital admission. MethodsAn ambispective (01 July 2015–12 July 2018) observational study was conducted on all episodes of chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia in a paediatric population. A record was made of age, gender, weight percentile (WHO), length of hospital stay (days), temperature (°C), microbial isolation, infectious source, antibiotic or antifungal prophylaxis, haemoglobin (g/dl), platelets (/mm3), neutrophils (/mm3), lymphocytes (/mm3), monocytes (/mm3), CRP (mg/L) and procalcitonin (PCT) (ng/ml) on admission, and days with neutropenia<500/mm3. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSSv.23 program. ResultsThe study included 69 patients, and 101 episodes were recorded. The mean stay was 7.43 days (median 6 days). Microbial isolation was found in 44.6% of the episodes, with no infectious source identified in 36% of them. An inverse correlation was found between haemoglobin, platelets, and lymphocytes on admission and the hospital stay (−0.356: P=.001, −0.216: P=.042, and −0.216: P=.042, respectively). The mean stay was greater if there was a CRP >90mg/L (10.94 vs. 6.66 days, P=.017), if PCT>1ng/ml (16.50 vs. 6.77 days, P=.0002), if ≤100 neutrophils (8.27 vs. 5.04 days P=.039) on admission, and if there was microbe isolation (9.54 vs. 5.78 days P=.006) ConclusionThe relationship between haemoglobin, platelets, and lymphocytes on admission and the mean stay is inversely proportional. In addition, those patients with ≤100 neutrophils, CRP>90mg/L, and PCT>1ng/ml on admission had a longer hospital stay.