Septicaemia in childhood malignancy.

In this study, 44 episodes of septicaemia occurred in 32 children over a 5 1/2 year period. The mean number of hospitalised children with malignant diseases was 88 a year. During the study period, there were a total of 1,818 admissions. The mean age was 7 years (2 months to 16 years) with a male predilection (66%). The majority of septicaemias occurred in children with leukaemia (52%), but their mortality was lower than in children with malignant lymphoma. No children with solid tumours died in connection with septicaemia. All deaths in connection with septicaemia occurred in children with less than 0.5 X 10(9) granulocytes per litre, and none of these children were in remission. Twelve different bacterial species were isolated with Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase negative staphylococci, and Escherichia coli, accounting for 75% of these episodes. The mortality was 14%, most often (67%) in connection with septicaemia caused by Gram-negative organisms. It is emphasised that the type of infecting microorganisms and the outcome of the infections must be recorded regularly and the antibiotic regimen adjusted accordingly.