RT Book, Section A1 Haslam, David B. A1 Mckinney, Jeffrey Scott A2 Rudolph, Colin D. A2 Rudolph, Abraham M. A2 Lister, George E. A2 First, Lewis R. A2 Gershon, Anne A. SR Print(0) ID 7021902 T1 Chapter 229. Fever and Infection in the Immunocompromised Patient T2 Rudolph's Pediatrics, 22e YR 2011 FD 2011 PB The McGraw-Hill Companies PP New York, NY SN 978-0-07-149723-7 LK accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=7021902 RD 2024/03/29 AB A key element in the effective care of immunocompromised patients with fever and infection is hypervigilance. Not only are these patients at increased risk from a diverse range of microorganisms, but also their resulting infections can present with subtle or atypical symptoms and can progress to difficult-to-treat chronic disease states, or to acute life-threatening clinical decompensations. Given these facts, empiric anti-infective therapy is sometimes justified before the definitive cause of a fever is elucidated. Yet, the same facts also argue for the vital importance of making an accurate and exact diagnosis, to guide definitive ongoing therapy.