title: [Clinical and laboratory evolution of the febrile neutropenia episodes in pediatric patients hospitalized in a Colombian hospital in 2007-2009].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Neutropenia is one of the most common complications in children with cancer, and it's the most important parameter to determine infection risk. In neutropenic patients the signs and symptoms could be scarce and in occasions fever could be the only symptom. For these reasons all patients with febrile neutropenia (FN) should be considered as if they had a possibly severe disease.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the clinical characteristics and laboratory parameters observed in cancer patients with FN attended at our hospital to perform a more rational management of this complication in the future.
  
  
  METHODS
  The clinical files accumulated during 36 months, belonging to patients aged 0 to 15 years that were hospitalized because of cancer and FN were reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this series the source of fever was found in 48.6% of 105 NF episodes, and bacteria were isolated from blood or urine culture in 38%. The most frequent bacterial species recovered were methicillin susceptible S. aureus (20.8%) and ESBL negative E. coli (20.8%). Piperacillin/tazobactam was the most used first line antibiotic prescribed (87.6%) and meropenem was the second choice (18%). Granulocyte colony stimulating factor was used in 61.9% of the cases and episodes mortality rate was 6.7%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clinical characteristics and bacteriological findings in our institution do not differ significantly from what has been described for pediatric cancer patients in other series.
authors: Departamento de Pediatría, Hospital Pablo Tobón Uribe, Medellín, Colombia. Isahurtado@gmail.com
authors: Isabel C
authors: IC
authors: Hurtado
authors: Diana P
authors: DP
authors: Sánchez
authors: David A
authors: DA
authors: Espinal
authors: Carlos
authors: C
authors: Garcés
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000209:etiology*; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000209:etiology*; D016908:Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D009503:Neutropenia / Q000209:etiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies