Improvements in the management of neutropenic sepsis: lessons learned from a district general hospital.

Neutropenic sepsis is a life-threatening condition with mortality rates reported to range between 2 and 21% in adults. It can occur following chemotherapy treatment, due to disease (such as haematological conditions affecting the bone marrow) and in patients on disease-modifying agents (such as patients receiving methotrexate for rheumatoid arthritis). Appropriate emergency treatment is essential and achieving intravenous antibiotic door-to-needle time of less than 1 hour is a key target.