Management of indwelling central venous catheters in pediatric cancer patients with fever and neutropenia.

This prospective study comprises 97 episodes of fever and neutropenia in children with cancer and central venous access. In 76% of episodes, patients had a Broviac-Hickman-like catheter, and in 24% a totally implanted venous access chamber system. The need for catheter removal during a febrile infection was 0.32/1000 catheter days, and the documented sepsis rate was 0.59/1000 catheter days. Our data indicate that 94% of episodes of fever and neutropenia in total, 78% of documented septicemias, and 97% of fevers of unknown origin were curable with broad-coverage antimicrobial therapy without removing the central venous line. Totally implanted chambers had a lower infection rate than catheters of Broviac-Hickman type.