Elevation in serum lactate at the time of febrile neutropenia (FN) in hemodynamically-stable patients with hematologic malignancies (HM) is associated with the development of septic shock within 48 hours.

Background: Hospitalized patients who develop febrile neutropenia (FN) are treated empirically with antibiotics due to a high risk of developing septic shock. Currently, there is no method to predict which patients are at greatest risk. This study was designed to determine whether serum lactate, measured at the time of FN, is associated with the development of septic shock in hospitalized hematologic malignancy (HM) patients.