Table 2.
Main characteristics of febrile neutropenia episodes
| Pre-intervention period (n = 56) | Intervention period (n = 57) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total number of fever episodes, n | 87 | 103 | |
| Number of fever episodes per admission | 1 (1–2) | 2 (1–2) | 0.08 |
| Number of fever episodes per admission, n (%) | |||
| 1 | 33 (59) | 24 (42) | |
| 2 | 15 (27) | 20 (35) | |
| 3 | 8 (14) | 13 (23) | |
| Type of fever episodes, n (%) | 0.35 | ||
| MDI | 19 (22) | 32 (31) | |
| Bacteremia | 9 (48) | 18 (57) | |
| Urinary tract infection | 4 (21) | 3 (9) | |
| CVC-related infection | 4 (21) | 8 (25) | |
| Clostridioides difficile infection | 1 (5) | 0 (0) | |
| Fungal infection | 1 (5) | 3 (9) | |
| CDI | 36 (41) | 39 (38) | |
| Oral mucositis/dental | 9 (25) | 6 (15) | |
| Abdominal | 9 (25) | 8 (21) | |
| Skin and soft tissue | 0 (0) | 6 (15) | |
| Pulmonary | 7 (20) | 8 (21) | |
| Perianal | 4 (11) | 3 (8) | |
| CVC | 3 (8) | 3 (8) | |
| Multiple | 4 (11) | 5 (12) | |
| FUO | 32 (37) | 32 (31) | |
| Duration of fever episode (days) | 4 (2–7) | 3 (2–5) | 0.326 |
| Fever recurrence, n (%) | 31 (36) | 46 (45) | 0.207 |
| Time to fever recurrence (days) | 6 (4–10.5) | 7 (4–10) | 0.896 |
| Sepsis, n (%) | 7 (8) | 9 (9) | 0.864 |
| Septic shock, n (%) | 2 (2) | 3 (3) | 1 |
Data are presented as median (interquartile range) unless otherwise indicated
Abbreviations: CDI: Clinically documented infection; CVC: Central venous catheter; FUO: Fever of unknown origin; MDI: Microbiologically documented infection