Update on Healthcare-Associated Blood Stream Infections in Febrile Neutropenic Pediatric Oncology Patients

Background: Continuous surveillance of pattern of blood stream infection is necessary in febrile neutropenia especially with the recent escalating trend in the management of pediatric cancer pa-tients towards intensified regimens and with the increase in infections caused by resistant organ-isms limiting the choice of antibiotics. Aim: Monitoring if a change has occurred in pattern of blood stream infections (BSI) in febrile neutropenic (FN) pediatric cancer patients. Methods: Surveil-lance of FN episodes with positive BSI was prospectively monitored and compared to a previous surveillance in the same pediatric oncology unit. Results: A total of 232 BSI positive episodes were documented in 192 patients during a 6 months period. The results of recent surveillance analysis showed an increase in intensified regimens of chemotherapy, antimicrobial resistance, and pro-longed duration of episodes when compared to previous surveillance, with a p value of <0.001, 0.005, and <0.001, respectively. There was an apparent decrease in the crude mortality but thi