Rescue from neutropenic fever and a bamboo pole

We describe a patient admitted to the intensive care unit following a penetrating head injury. This patient developed agranulocytosis and subsequently pancytopenia secondary to an idiosyncratic drug reaction. The possible causative drugs are phenytoin, cloxacillin, ceftriaxone and ceftazidime. The patient was treated with recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor.