Medical Informative Booklets
Chemotherapy / Radiotherapy
Isolation because of Neutropenia
What is neutropenia ?
Neutropenia is a decrease in leukocytes in the blood, especially the neutrocytes. These are produced by the bone marrow, as the erythrocytes and the platelets.
Chemotherapy can cause neutropenia (more or less severe) which duration depends both on the medicines used and the duration of the treatment.
What is the role of the leukocytes ?
The leukocytes play a role in the defence of our organism against microbes. They enable us to defend ourselves against infections caused by bacteria or viruses.
The infection risk exists as soon as there is less than 1000 cells/mm³, and requires particular precautions as soon as this number is less than 500 cells/mm³.
Where are the microbes ?
The microbes or micro-oprganisms are everywhere in our environment (water, air, food…), as well as on the skin, and also inside the body, the mouth, the digestive tract, the breathing system, the reproductive sytem.
If simple rules are respected, the hospital personnel and yourself will be able to decrease the risk of being exposed to these microbes.
Which precautions does the personnel take to protect you ?
As you will see further, the hospital personnel washes its hands, wears a mask, a smock, and sometimes gloves when they give you the care.
You will receive a diet without crudités and composed of well done food.
If necessary, your doctor will prescribe you medicines and antibiotics in order to prevent any risk of developping an infection.
You will receive a mask and a smock to go to the examinations.
Particular precautions will be taken to clean your room.
What do you have to do to protect yourself if you are neutropenic ?
In order to limit the risk of developping an infection, we advise you to respect the advice below scrupulously :
- Wear a mask to go to these examinations
- Have a wash every day and especially care of the axillary and inguinal hollows as well as of your intimate hygiene.
- Wash your hands strongly and regularly all day long, before you eat, and above all after you go to the toilet.
- Have a strict dental hygiene and wash your teeth with a soft toothbrush in order to avoid any injury at the mouth.
- Have a regular mouth wash following the method and the programme which will be communicated to you by the doctor and/or the nursing staff.
- Change your clothes and underwear entirely after each wash.
- Avoid contacts with any person suffering from an infection.
- Indicate any sign of infection immediately, as well as any persistent symptom, such as fever, a redness of the skin, pain (wherever it is), a cough, an unusual discharge.
- Recall the visitors and the nursing staff to respect the safety instructions : the visitors can get the document intended for them to the nursing staff, on simple request.
- Do not hesitate to recall you are neutropenic to people around you.
- Do eat the food of your diet only and respect the instructions below :
| - Ask those who bring you food to tell it to the nursing staff and to respect the food instructions - Only the fruit with a thick peel (citrus fruit, bananas) washed, disinfected by the personnel (citrus fruit) and carefully peeled by the visitors (bananas) are authorized. Put them in a clean box and keep them below 6°. The person who touched and peeled the fruit must rewash his hands after. - Wrap the food in clean cooking ustensils - Keep the food (cooked at a temperature exceeding 65°) in scaled "frigobox plaques" and clean isothermal box. - Keep cold food below 6° (frozen "frigobox plaques" and clean isothermal box) - You can bring self stable items provided that the wrapping is clean (tins, dairy products and desserts which do not have to be kept in the refrigerator) - Clean metal cans (drinks) are authorized - Do not eat any raw food - Do not add any ingredient after the cooking (spices, raw eggs, sugar…) - Do not handle the food after the cooking (blender) - Do not eat any home-made preparation raw eggs-based (mayonnaise, chocolate mousse) - Do not eat any ice cream (even factory ones) - Do not eat any cream or fresh fruit juice-based dessert |
- Scrupulously, respect every additional safety instruction communicated to you by the doctor or the nursing staff.
- Never hesitate to ask all the useful questions you wish to the doctor and the nursing staff.
Writing co-ordination :
C. Devleeshouwer, Unit Head Nurse, in charge of Hospital Hygiene
P. Crombez, Unit Head Nurse, Sterile Unit
D. Patte, Unit Head Nurse, In charge of Care Procedures
Nursing Department
This booklet was carried out thanks to the support of "Friends" of the Institute.
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