RISK FACTORS FOR BLOOD STREAM INFECTIONS IN PATIENTS WITH CHILDHOOD LEUKEMIA AT A TERTIARY CARE CENTRE IN SOUTH INDIA.

Objective: To analyze risk factors for Blood Stream Infections (bsis) in children with leukemia and determine if liberalized diets posed a higher risk compared to restrictive neutropenic diets. Design: Cross-sectional observational study Setting: Tertiary care hospital in South India. Participants: The study included 169 admissions of 41 children aged 1-18 years with Acute Leukemia (ALL and AML) during 2021-2022. Results: Among the participants, 35.8% experienced bsis during episodes of febrile neutropenia. Gram-negative bacteria were isolated in 14 cases, and Gram-positive cocci in 5. Notably, all Multi-Drug Resistant (MDR) isolates were found in patients with hospital stays exceeding 15 days. Significant risk factors identified in the study included: Hospital stay exceeding 15 days Presence of a central venous catheter Severe neutropenia (absolute neutrophil count <500/ul) Transfer to the ICU The type of hospital room, dietary choices (including raw fruits, vegetables, poultry, fish, meat, curd), constipation, mucositis, and the duration of catheter placement did not significantly affect BSI risk. Furthermore, serum Procalcitonin levels during febrile neutropenia were not correlated with the occurrence of bsis.