Blood Culture in Neutropenic Patients with Fever

Abstract

In 2004, Klastersky et al. reported that fever isa common finding in patients with hematologicmalignancies, occurring in more than 80% of thepatients during or after chemotherapy.[1] He andhis colleagues also reported that the most fearedinfection in neutropenic patients is bloodstreaminfection (BSI), which significantly increases themortality rate of these patients.[2] In 2009, Viscoliet al.[3] and 10 years later Bodey[4] came into thesame conclusion that the identification of the BSIby clinical means is complicated due to the factthat in neutropenic patients, the common signs ofinfection are usually absent and the only clinicalsign of BSI is fever.