Management of health-care--associated infections in the oncology patient.

Each year, 2.4 million patients in the United States develop health-care--associated infections (HAIs), requiring treatment at an annual cost of approximately $4.5 billion. HAI is the primary cause of death in approximately 30,000 patients and contributes to the death of 70,000 annually. Oncology patients are more susceptible than other patients to HAIs due to compromised immune systems, surgery (drains), invasive technology (catheters), and environmental factors. This paper will review each of these risk factors and discuss preventive steps such as a predictive index, antibiotic therapy, and infection control practices.