Efficiency of protective isolation in allogeneic stem cell transplantation in children

Forty children with hematological malignancies, who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplants between September 1994 and May 2001, were divided into 2 groups according to their infection control procedure; the standard protective isolation and the efficient protective isolation groups. Efficient protective isolation procedures included well-cooked foods and oral prophylaxis with new quinolones and antifungal drugs, while inhalation of antibiotics and antifungal drugs was suspended. We then compared the febrile index (= X/Y) [febrile period (X) of > 38.5 degrees C and the days (Y) with a post-transplant neutrophil count < 500/microliter] between the two groups. We discovered no significant difference between the febrile index of the two groups (0.25 vs. 0.38, p = 0.08), regardless of the type of transplantation (0.36 vs. 0.38, p = 0.14). The efficient protective isolation procedure was therefore feasible in this clinical setting.