Lecture 35 - Neutropenia

Question 1

Febrile neutropenia?

Answer 1

common in severely neutropenic, high rates of bacteraemia, infection from gut and skin flora (damaged barriers), high mortality for gram -ve bacteraemia, empiric antibiotic treatment improves outcome

Question 2

Risk of infection related to neutrophil count?

Answer 2

risk rises below 0.5 x 10mill, >1% daily risk of bacteraemia when <0.1 x 10mill and almost certain after 6 wk

Question 3

Aetiology?

Answer 3

predominately staphylococci,, streptococci and aerobic Gm -ve bacilli

Question 4

Treatments?

Answer 4

Tazocin (against almost all aerobic bacteria) and Gentamicin (active against almost all aerobic gram -ve bacilli

Question 5

Other neutrophil related problems?

Answer 5

inadequate production of adhesion molecules from neutrophils, inadequate chemotaxis, inadequate intracellular killing, absence of n’s in certain locations due to decreased inflammation