Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Chemotherapy Induced Neutropenia And Increased Risk For Sepsis, Megan E. Moore-Weber

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Available treatment options for patients diagnosed with cancer include surgery, the administration of chemotherapeutic agents, radiation therapy, or a combination of these modalities. Chemotherapeutic agents utilized to treat cancer have a variety of potential side effects. One of the most common and well known side effects associated with the administration of chemotherapeutic agents is neutropenia. Neutropenia places oncology patients at an increased risk of contracting infections which may lead to a life threatening complication known as sepsis. Sepsis is an extremely dangerous oncologic emergency requiring prompt medical treatment. Failure to recognize symptoms associated with sepsis in the neutropenic patient and …

Gram-Negative Bacteria And Sepsis, Christine D. Ridge

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Today’s medical world encompasses an environment in which gram-negative bacteria that once were defeated with common antibiotics, have now become resistant. Gram-negative bacteria like Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter, and Acinetobacter are pathogens that are an emerging threat causing sepsis due to multidrug-resistance (Pop-Vicas & Opal, 2014, p.189). The multidrug-resistance mechanisms of gram-negative bacteria coupled with a patient population commonly seen in hospital settings, that consist of immunocompromised adults due to advancing age, comorbidities (e.g. AIDS, history of transplants, diabetes, and chemotherapy), and immunotherapies, create an environment for advanced infection or sepsis to take place.

Complications of multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria …

Sepsis In The Intensive Care Setting, Katie Mojzisik

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Sepsis is a complex systemic illness. According to Kruse et al. (2016), neutropenic sepsis is a frequent complication in cancer patients. Although the underlying disease is curable, once transferred to the ICU with sepsis these patients have poor outcomes. • Patients who develop sepsis are commonly admitted to an Intensive Care Unit. Working on the Medical Intensive Care Unit (JMICU) at the James Cancer Hospital, one sees septic cancer patients often. This cancer diagnosis places patients at a higher risk of developing sepsis. Some patients also have a high risk due to decreased immunity from chemotherapy treatments. Oncology patients can …