A retrospective study of infections in neutropenic patients.

This is a retrospective non-randomised study of 37 episodes of infections in neutropenic patients (grades III and IV myelosuppression). The commonest presentation of infection in these patients was fever which was followed by diarrhoea. Infection was documented bacteriologically in 22.

Antibiotics in febrile neutropenia: a randomized prospective comparison of two combinations.

Background: Problems of initial empirical antibiotic therapy in febrile neutropenia are further complicated by other factors such as cost and the pattern of infective organisms in a particular institution. We, therefore, conducted a randomized study comparing the efficacy of two sets of antibiotics which differed in their spectrum of action, availability and price.

Methods: Sixty episodes of febrile neutropenia in 40 patients who were not on any prophylactic antibiotics were randomized into one of two arms--cefotaxime and gentamicin or ciprofloxacin and gentamicin.