Fever and Neutropenia Guidelines






Updated guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) for the use of antimicrobial agents in neutropenic patients with cancer have been published.

This document updates and expands the initial IDSA Fever and Neutropenia Guideline that was published in 1997 and first updated in 2002. It is intended as a guide for the use of antimicrobial agents in managing patients with cancer who experience chemotherapy-induced fever and neutropenia. Recent advances in antimicrobial drug development and technology, clinical trial results, and extensive clinical experience have informed the approaches and recommendations.

These guidelines emphasize the importance of categorizing neutropenic patients with fever as high-risk versus low-risk for severe infection. All neutropenic patients with fever require immediate broad-spectrum empiric antibiotic therapy to treat both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria.


Source:
Freifeld AG, Bow EJ, Sepkowitz KA, et al. Clinical practice guideline for the use of antimicrobial agents in neutropenic patients with cancer: 2010 update by the infectious diseases society of america. Clin Infect Dis 2011; 52:e56.
 

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