Respiratory Infection in Immunocompromised Neutropenic Patients

Neutropenia is increasingly common in the hospital. The rise in incidence is due to proliferation of indications for and centers performing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, hematologic effects of AIDS, and myelosuppressive side-effects of anti-viral and cancer chemotherapies (Table 39.1). As a result, these neutropenic patients are increasingly common in the intensive care units. These patients are often lymphopenic, anemic, and thrombocytopenic. They are at risk for multiple organ failures and various infections. This chapter will focus on respiratory infections in the neutropenic patient.