ArticlePloS one2018
Impact of an alternating first-line antibiotics strategy in febrile neutropenia.
Article in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- Piperacillin-tazobactam versus cefepime monotherapy in pediatric patients with febrile neutropenia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of pediatrics · 2026Pooled it
- Lessons learned from a structured and descriptive analysis of nosocomial outbreaks in hematology-oncology.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundRising antibiotic resistance poses a challenge to the management of febrile neutropenia in patients with haematological malignancies receiving chemotherapy.
aimWe studied an alternating first-line antibiotic strategy to determine its impact on all-cause mortality and bacteremia rates in patients with febrile neutropenia.
methodsAn alternating first-line antibiotic strategy was established in mid-2013. Data for 2012 (before strategy implementation) and 2014 (post-strategy implementation) were compared. Antibiotic Heterogeneity Index (AHI) for each of the two time-periods was also calculated.
findingsThere were 2012 admissions (26082 patient-days) in 2012 and 1843 admissions (24331 patient-days) in 2014. There was no significant difference in the baseline characteristics of patients in the two groups. The defined daily doses (DDD) of cefepime (CEF) fell while the DDD of piperacillin-tazobactam (PTZ) rose in 2014 compared with 2012. Vancomycin DDD fell in 2014. The AHI was 0.466 in 2012 and 0.582 in 2014. The difference in all-cause mortality was not statistically significant. There was no difference in rates of bacteremia with CEF-resistant, PTZ-resistant and carbapenem-resistant gram-negative organisms in the two groups. Rates of new cases of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were 2.38/1000 and 2.59/1000 patient-days in 2012 and 2014 respectively. Rates of new cases of Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) were 1.84/1000 and 1.81/1000 patient-days in 2012 and 2014 respectively. There was no Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) bacteremia in 2012 and 1 in 2014.
conclusionAn alternating first-line antibiotic strategy resulted in an increase in antibiotic heterogeneity, without increasing mortality. There was also no significant increase in bacteremia rates.
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