Clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients with febrile neutropenia in a children's hospital in Pasto-Colombia

Abstract

DOI: 10.1016/j.rcpe.2016.05.001

Introduction

Approximately 40 children under the age of 18 are diagnosed annually with cancer at the Hospital Infantil Los Angeles (HILA) in Pasto, Colombia. Neutropenic fever is a predictable occurrence in these children.

Aim

This study attempts to identify their clinical and laboratory characteristics during 2013.

Methods

Retrospective analysis of all cases of neutropenic fever in paediatric oncology patients seen in the HILA in 2013.

Results

A total of 52 episodes of neutropenic fever were identified in 32 individual patients, of whom two presented with four discrete episodes each. The mean age of the children was 7.2 years and the majority (62%) were male. The most common underlying malignancy was acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Half of the patients were diagnosed while an in-patient. An absolute neutrophil count of less than 100 cells/mm3 was observed in 5% of cases. The temperatures most commonly ranged between 38 and 38.9 degrees Celsius. The respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts were the most frequently identified sources of infection, and the most commonly used antibiotic treatment regimen was the combination of piperacillin/ tazobactam and amikacin. Sepsis was the most common complication seen, resulting in the death of one child.

Conclusions

Neutropenic fever is a frequent cause of hospital admission in paediatric oncology patients, and this study confirms similar findings in other studies as regards patient age, sex, underlying diagnosis, symptoms upon admission, and mortality. Febrile neutropenia associated with cancer is classified as High Risk. (SLIPE Consensus).