Septicaemia in patients with haematological malignant disease

Of 565 patients with haematological malignant disease who were seen between January, 1976, and July, 1978, 66 patients (11.7%) developed 77 episodes of septicaemia, 37 of which proved fatal. The highest prevalence of septicaemia occurred in patients with acute granulocytic leukemia (16 of 42 patients, nine deaths) and acute monocytic leukaemia (four of eight patients, two deaths). The prevalence of septicaemia in patients with multiple myeloma was also high (eight of 41 patients), due in five of these patients to Streptococcus pneumoniae. Factors associated with septicaemia, and the prevalence of the various pathogens isolated, are discussed.