The costs of treating febrile neutropenia in patients with malignant blood disorders.

Retrospective data were collected over a 1-year period from the medical records of patients admitted to a district general hospital, either with febrile neutropenia or who developed this complication whilst receiving inpatient chemotherapy. Costs were calculated for inpatient stay, drug treatment and diagnostic tests. The median total costs for 46 episodes of febrile neutropenia were 2068.35 pounds and the median total cost per day was 139.41 pounds. Inpatient bed-days accounted for 57.8% of total costs, followed by drug treatment at 25.8% and diagnostic tests at 16.4%. The costs of blood products were excluded since they are frequently administered irrespective of the neutropenia. This study serves as a useful pointer to the expenditure in measurable antibiotic costs and investigations in patients with malignant blood disorders who develop febrile neutropenia.