Febrile neutropenia in cancer patients: management in the emergency room

• Published in: Revista chilena de infectología 2018, Vol.35 (1), p.62-71
• Main Authors: Rivera-Salgado, Daniel, Valverde-Muñoz, Kathia, Ávila-Agüero, María L
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• ISSN: 0717-6341
• DOI: 10.4067/s0716-10182018000100062

Febrile neutropenia is a life-threatening condition that requires immediate attention, especially in patients with chemotherapy-related neutropenia. Patients with febrile neutropenia have a much greater risk of developing bacterial disease, and fever may be the only indicator of severe bacterial infection. Adequate management of febrile neutropenia emphasizes early recognition of patients, risk stratification, and antibiotic therapy administration during the first 60 minutes of admission to an emergency room. Not all children with febrile neutropenia carry the same risk of morbidity and mortality, so in recent years, efforts have been made to distinguish between high-risk patients where more aggressive hospital management is required. In children classified as low-risk, outpatient management may be considered initially or after 72 hours, whilst high-risk patients should be hospitalized and managed with parenteral antibiotics.