Infectious events in pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma undergoing evaluation for fever without severe neutropenia

Background Infections cause significant treatment‐related morbidity during pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (ALL/LLy) therapy. Fevers during periods without severe neutropenia are common, but etiologies are not well‐described. This study sought to describe the bloodstream infection (BSI) and non‐BSI risk in children undergoing therapy for ALL/LLy. Methods Demographic and clinical data were ed for febrile episodes without severe neutropenia at two children's hospitals. Treatment courses were stratified by intensity. Multivariate logistic regression evaluated characteristics associated with infection. Results There were 1591 febrile episodes experienced by 524 patients. Of these, 536 (34%) episodes had ≥1 infection; BSI occurred in 30 (1.9%) episodes. No BSIs occurred in episodes with a recent procedural sedation or cytarabine exposure. Presence of hypotension, chills/rigors, higher temperature, and infant phenotype were independently associated with BSI (p