Home treatment of febrile neutropenia: An empirical oral antibiotic regimen

• Published in: Annals of oncology 1991-07, Vol.2 (7), p.485-487
• Main Authors: Gardembas-Pain, M., Desablens, B., Sensebe, L., Lamy, Th, Ghandour, Ch, Boasson, M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Amoxicillin - administration & dosage; Anti-Bacterial Agents - administration & dosage; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - adverse effects; Clavulanic Acid; Clavulanic Acids - administration & dosage; Drug Administration Schedule; Drug Therapy, Combination - therapeutic use; empirical antibiotic regimen; Female; fever; Fever - drug therapy; Fever - etiology; home treatment; Humans; Leukopenia - chemically induced; Lymphoma - complications; Lymphoma - drug therapy; Male; Middle Aged; neutropenia; Neutropenia - chemically induced; Neutropenia - drug therapy; Pefloxacin - administration & dosage; Prospective Studies
• ISSN: 0923-7534; 1569-8041
• DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.annonc.a057996

Between May 1988 and November 1989, 68 consecutive febrile courses supervening after polychemotherapy for lymphoma outpatients (median age 50 years) were treated by the combination of oral Pefioxacin/Amoxicillin Clavulanic acid. In terms of median data, neutropenia appeared on d9 [d1–d17], and lasted 5 days [2–9] with a PMN nadir observed at 0.104×109 [0–0.5×109/1], while fever rose on d1O [1–24]. In 59 cases (87%), fever and/or focal symptoms disappeared within 3 days, after which treatment was maintained for 7 days. Nine failures were observed, of which 2 were due to abandonment of treatment, 2 to vomiting and 5 to persistence of the original symptoms. Meti Susceptible-Staphylocci were found in blood samples from 2 patients, one of whom, with grade IV lymphoma that had proved resistant to chemotherapy, died. The treatment was found to be effective and well tolerated, offering a good alternative to hospitalization during a transient chemotherapy-induced neutropenia.