Journal of pediatric hematology/oncology
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J. Pediatr. Hematol. Oncol. · May 1998
Septicemia and septic shock in pediatric patients: 140 consecutive cases on a pediatric hematology-oncology service.
This report describes the incidence of septic shock in pediatric hematology-oncology patients with positive blood cultures and investigates parameters of potential use in early diagnosis of gram-negative (GN) bacteremia and septic shock. ⋯ GN organisms were the major cause of septic shock in a group of pediatric hematology-oncology patients with positive blood cultures although they were recovered less frequently than gram-positive organisms. In our study, non-neutropenic patients with indwelling catheters were at approximately the same risk for GN shock as neutropenic patients. Monitoring blood carbon dioxide content may be useful in the early diagnosis of GN infection.