Comparison between piperacillin/tazobactam and cefepime monotherapies as an empirical therapy for febrile neutropenia in children with hematological and malignant disorders: A prospective, randomized study.

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of piperacillin/tazobactam (PIPC/TAZ) or cefepime (CFPM) monotherapy for febrile neutropenia (FN) in children, a total of 53 patients with 213 febrile episodes were randomly treated with either PIPC/TAZ 337.5 mg/kg/day, or CFPM 100 mg/kg/day. No significant differences were observed in the success rates of the PIPC/TAZ and CFPM treatments (62.1% vs. 59.1%, P = 0.650). Furthermore, no differences were noted in the rates of new infection and mortality, and no serious adverse effects occurred in either of groups. Both PIPC/TAZ and CFPM were effective and safe as an empirical therapy for FN in children. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2015;62:356-358. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.