Optimizing Care for Neutropenic Fever in Pediatric Patients: An Analysis
of Treatment Approaches and Clinical Outcomes
Abstract
Background: Febrile neutropenia is a serious and common complication in
pediatric oncology. Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC)
hospitals use varying fever thresholds for admission criteria: the KP
Oakland hospital employs a threshold of 101.5°F, while KP Roseville and
KP Santa Clara use lower thresholds. This study aims to assess the
potential risks associated with adopting a higher fever threshold,
including bacteremia, pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) transfer,
septic shock, and length of hospital stay. Procedure: This retrospective
cohort study includes KPNC members aged 1-18 years with an oncologic
diagnosis admitted to one of three KPNC hospitals with neutropenic fever
between 2016 and 2022. Patients admitted with a fever ≥101.5°F
(high-threshold group) were compared to those admitted with a fever
<101.5°F (low-threshold group). Results: The study cohort
included 183 patients with mean age of 8.2±5.4 years, 59.6% male. Of
these, 73 (40%) were in the low-threshold group, and 110 (60%) in the
high-threshold group. Overall, 24 (13.1%) patients developed
bacteremia, and 24 (13.1%) required PICU transfer. Comparisons between
the low- and high-threshold groups showed no statistically significant
differences in rates of bacteremia (8.2% versus 16.4%, p=0.11), PICU
transfer (12.3% versus 13.6%, p=0.80), septic shock (2.7% versus
4.6%, p=0.53), or length of hospital stay (4.4 [IQR 2.5-8.1] versus
4.2 [IQR 2.6-8.0] days, p=0.81). Conclusion: Future studies with
larger sample sizes are needed to validate these findings. If confirmed,
the results suggest using higher fever thresholds for febrile
neutropenia hospital admissions may be safe and could reduce
hospitalizations for some pediatric oncology patients.