Symposium on infections in the compromised host. Hematologic effects of cancer chemotherapy

Use of the antineoplastic agents frequently causes myelosuppression and neutropenia. Neutropenic patients often fail to manifest the usual signs and symptoms of infection; they are unable to mount an adequate inflammatory response and infection disseminates rapidly. There is a direct correlation between the degree of granulocytopenia and the incidence and severity of infections. During the period of granulocytopenia (the vulnerable period) the risk of infection is high. While safeguarding the patient throughout the entire period of hospitalization, nurses should be more vigilant during this time. They must be alert to subtle signs of infection and the patient should be monitored closely for increased temperature (greater than or equal to 101 degrees F), mouth sores, sore throat, cough, congestion, or dysuria. The patient undergoing chemotherapy faces many threats to survival. This patient also offers an extraordinary challenge to nursing practitioners because good care may significantly improve the patient's quality and length of life.