Jaffar A Al-Tawfiq1, Kareem Hinedi2, Hanan Khairallah3, Bassam Saadeh3, Suhail Abbasi3, Madeeha Noureen3, Safia Raza3, Adil Alkhatti4. 1. Specialty Internal Medicine and Quality Department, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. Electronic address: jaffar.tawfiq@jhah.com. 2. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Division of Hospital Medicine, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. 3. Division of Hospital Medicine, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. 4. Hematology/Oncology Institute, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: No recent studies are available from Saudi Arabia on the etiology of febrile neutropenia. The objective of this study was to describe the characteristics of patients with febrile neutropenia and to calculate the rate of occurrence of bacteremia in these patients. METHODS: This is a hospital-based study of patients admitted with febrile neutropenia from 2006 to 2015. RESULTS: A total of 372 distinct episodes of febrile neutropenia representing 231 patients were included. Hematologic malignancies constituted 56.6% of the episodes. Positive blood cultures were reported in 13.5% with equal frequency of Gram-negative bacilli and gram positive cocci. The most commonly suspected sites of infection were blood 10.8% and pulmonary 9.2%, and the majority (72.5%) was thought to have no identifiable source of infection. Of all the episode, 32% had central venous catheters. The most frequently used single antimicrobial agents were imipenem (38%) and ceftazidime (7.5%). The mortality rate was 11.2% and it was significantly associated with the presence of bacteremia 24.4% versus 12.4% (P=0.016). Mortality was not significantly association with age, type of malignancy, presence of central venous catheter, or the severity of neutropenia. Compared to patients with hematological malignancy, patients with solid organ malignancy were more likely to be female 62% versus 14.9% (P<0.001) and were less likely to have bacteremia 8.7% versus 17.1%, P=0.042, respectively. CONCLUSION: We had shown that febrile neutropenia in this study has a low rate of bacteremia and that about 45% received the recommended initial empiric therapy.
OBJECTIVES: No recent studies are available from Saudi Arabia on the etiology of febrile neutropenia. The objective of this study was to describe the characteristics of patients with febrile neutropenia and to calculate the rate of occurrence of bacteremia in these patients. METHODS: This is a hospital-based study of patients admitted with febrile neutropenia from 2006 to 2015. RESULTS: A total of 372 distinct episodes of febrile neutropenia representing 231 patients were included. Hematologic malignancies constituted 56.6% of the episodes. Positive blood cultures were reported in 13.5% with equal frequency of Gram-negative bacilli and gram positive cocci. The most commonly suspected sites of infection were blood 10.8% and pulmonary 9.2%, and the majority (72.5%) was thought to have no identifiable source of infection. Of all the episode, 32% had central venous catheters. The most frequently used single antimicrobial agents were imipenem (38%) and ceftazidime (7.5%). The mortality rate was 11.2% and it was significantly associated with the presence of bacteremia 24.4% versus 12.4% (P=0.016). Mortality was not significantly association with age, type of malignancy, presence of central venous catheter, or the severity of neutropenia. Compared to patients with hematological malignancy, patients with solid organ malignancy were more likely to be female 62% versus 14.9% (P<0.001) and were less likely to have bacteremia 8.7% versus 17.1%, P=0.042, respectively. CONCLUSION: We had shown that febrile neutropenia in this study has a low rate of bacteremia and that about 45% received the recommended initial empiric therapy.
Authors: Anne Sophie Jacob; Helen Kaul; Michael Fuchs; Sarah Gillessen; Stefanie Kreissl; Annette Pluetschow; Jesko Momotow; Valdete Schaub; Andreas Huettmann; Mathias Haenel; Andreas Zimmermann; Judith Dierlamm; Julia Meissner; Stephan Mathas; Sonja Martin; Andreas Engert; Michael Hallek; Peter Borchmann; Clara Lehmann Journal: Infection Date: 2022-02-19 Impact factor: 7.455