Entries by Amar Safdar

CHAPTER 11. Intravascular Device-Related Infections Catheter Salvage Strategies and Prevention of Device-Related Infection by Nasia Safdar, Dennis G. Maki

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ABSTRACT The use of intravascular devices for administration of chemotherapeutic drugs, fluids, blood products and nutritional support is essential to the care of patients with cancer. Unfortunately, intravascular devices have great potential to produce iatrogenic disease, especially bloodstream infection originating from colonization of the device used for access or from contamination of the infusate administered […]

CHAPTER 10. Catheter-Related Infections in Cancer Patients by Iba Al Wohoush, Anne-Marie Chaftari, Issam Raad

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ABSTRACT Central venous catheters (CVCs) play a major role in the management of high-risk patients, particularly cancer patients and are mainly used for the administration of anti cancer agents, antibiotics, and blood products. CRBSI rates are influenced by patient related factors, such as type and severity of the illness, by catheter related factors, and institutional […]

CHAPTER 9. Controversies in Empiric Therapy of Febrile Neutropenia by John R. Wingard

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ABSTRACT  Anti-neoplastic chemotherapy regimens induced myelosuppression was quickly recognized as a major limitation to the full utility of cytotoxic drug regimens targeting cancer.  Measures taken to mitigate harm from myelosuppression have led to a number of controversies over the years. The first controversy faced by clinicians was whether or not empiric antibiotic therapy for febrile […]

CHAPTER 8. Management of the Neutropenic Patient with Fever by Kenneth V. I. Rolston, Gerald P. Bodey

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 ABSTRACT Neutrophils provide protection against a wide variety of common and opportunistic bacterial and fungal pathogens. Consequently, the frequency and severity of infections caused by these organisms is increased in patients with neutropenia.  At most cancer treatment centers, gram-positive organisms are isolated more frequently from neutropenic patients with documented bacterial infections than gram-negative bacilli, although […]

CHAPTER 7. Management of Infections in Critically Ill Cancer Patients By Jason M. Blaylock, Catherine F. Decker, Henry Masur

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ABSTRACT Advances in critical care medicine have enabled cancer patients to survive aggressive medical and surgical therapies that they could not have tolerated a decade ago. For patients whose goals can be met by ICU support, the diagnostic and empiric therapeutic approach will be far different than when patients are more stable in other hospital […]

CHAPTER 6. Surgery-Related Infections in Cancer Patients By Emilio Bouza, Almudena Burillo, Juan Carlos Lopez-Gutierrez, José F. Tomás

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ABSTRACT Many different infections may occur after surgical events in patients with solid tumors, though infections of the operative site are the most common nosocomial infections in any surgical patient. Also frequent, are infections of the lower respiratory tract, related or not to endotracheal intubation; of the urinary tract, usually related to the need for […]

CHAPTER 5. Infections in Patients with Hematologic Malignancies Treated with Monoclonal Antineoplastic Therapy by André Goy, Susan O’Brien

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ABSTRACT The advent of monoclonal antibody therapy heralded a new era in oncology. In 1997, rituximab became the first monoclonal antibody for the treatment of cancer following its approval for patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The potential risks of any pharmacotherapy should be considered alongside the obvious benefits. Recently, concerns have emerged over the possible […]

CHAPTER 4. Infections in Solid Organ Cancer by Alison Freifeld

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ABSTRACT Over 90% of the 1.4 million new cases of cancer diagnosed in the US in 2008 were due to solid tumors, with predominant sites being lung, breast, prostate, colorectal, bladder and uterine cancers While it is clear to practicing oncologists that solid tumor patients are generally at lower risk for infection-related complications overall, infections […]

CHAPTER 3. Infections in Patients with Hematologic Malignancies by Genovefa Papanicolaou, Jayesh Mehta

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ABSTRACT Hematologic malignancies are a heterogeneous group of diseases with differing clinical manifestations, disease course, response to therapy, and long-term outcome.  More intensive therapies are also being extended to older age groups and to patients with significant comorbidities which were traditionally excluded from such treatment. These intensive treatment approaches are associated with multiple complications; infections […]

CHAPTER 2. Infections in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients by Georg Maschmeyer, Per Ljungman

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ABSTRACT The risk of infection among allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) recipients is determined by patient age, underlying disease, the complications that occurred during preceding treatment regimens, the selected transplantation modality, and the severity of graft-versus-host disease. Immunological reconstitution after hematopoietic recovery has an impact on type of post-transplant infectious complications, and infection-related mortality […]