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Oncologic Emergencies – Neutropenic Fevers Video
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Video at a Glance
- Neutropenic fevers are the primary cause of mortality in 36% of cancer patients and a secondary cause in 68% of patients.
- Neutropenic fever is typically a side effect of chemotherapy, as the chemotherapy attacks rapidly dividing cells, including those cells that form the gut mucosa and cells in the bone marrow engaged in hematopoiesis.
- The effects of the attack on the gut mucosa are translocation of gut flora and bacteria into the bloodstream, and the effects on the bone marrow are potential pancytopenia, including anemia, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia.
- The bacterial translocation mixed with the immunosuppression results in a high likelihood of sepsis and neutropenic fever.
- The treatment is antibiotic administration starting within one hour of the fever.
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