Very early discharge compared with early or non-early discharge in children with cancer and febrile neutropenia: A Cochrane review summary

Febrile neutropenia is a common complication of chemotherapeutical treatment in childhood cancer and the most common cause of non-planned hospitalization in this population. Due to the high risk of infection and complications, the internationally-recognised and gold-standard management is hospital admission and parenteral administration of broad spectrum antibiotics. Children are routinely hospitalized until they are afebrile, have completed their antibiotic course and their neutrophil count is recovering. Approaches to this management of febrile neutropenia have changed little over the past 30 years. Here, Bradford evaluates whether early discharge, or very early discharge, from in-hospital treatment was not inferior to non-early discharge in children with cancer and febrile neutropenia.