1681. Assessment of the Impact of Infectious Events in a Cohort of Pediatric Leukemia Patients in the Dominican Republic

BACKGROUND: Infections are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children with cancer. Although data are limited, the impact of infection in this population appears to be amplified in low- and middle-income countries. Defining the epidemiology of infection in a specific region is paramount to developing effective interventions. This study aims to define the epidemiology of and outcomes from infection in children with leukemia in the Dominican Republic. METHODS: A retrospective cohort was assembled of children newly diagnosed with leukemia between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2017 at Hospital Infantil Dr. Robert Reid Cabral in Santo Domingo. Patients were identified from the Pediatric Oncology Network Database and hospital admissions from the Oncology admissions logbook. Medical records and microbiology results were reviewed to identify all inpatient invasive infections. Distance from a child’s home to the hospital was determined using ArcGIS 10.5.1. Infection rates were described in discrete time periods after diagnosis and risk factors for invasive infection were explored using Poisson regression. RESULTS: The cohort included 68 patients; 54 (79.4%) with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and 14 (20.6%) with acute myeloblastic leukemia. The cohort was 48.5% female, had a median age at diagnosis of 7.3 years (range 1.1–16.6), and a median weight-for-age of 45.5 percentile (range 0–99.9). There were 1.2 invasive infections per 100 days at risk in the first 60 days after diagnosis, 0.8 from > 60–100 days, and 0.4 from > 100–180 days. Gastroenteritis, skin/soft-tissue infection, and pneumonia were most frequent, with bacteremia most common in the first 60 days. In a multivariate Poisson regression model, age ≥10 years (IRR 0.49, 95% CI 0.28–0.85) and distance from the hospital >100 km (IRR 0.34, 95% CI 0.14 – 0.81) were each protective against infection in the first 180 days after diagnosis. During the 2-year period, 8 of 22 (36%) patient deaths were related to infection. CONCLUSION: Invasive infections were common and a prominent source of death in this cohort. Interventions aimed at reducing infection should target the first 60 days after diagnosis. Decreased infection incidence among children of older age and farther distance from the hospital were unexpected and warrant further investigation. [Image: see text] [Image: see text] [Image: see text] [Image: see text] DISCLOSURES: All authors: No reported disclosures.