24th February 2025

A 42-year-old woman presents to the emergency department with evidence of an infection

A 42-year-old woman presents to the emergency department with evidence of an infection – she has a temperature of 38.9 degrees Celsius, with associated tachycardia. She has a background of breast cancer for which she is being treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy with high-dose epirubicin and cyclophosphamide chemotherapy. She last received treatment 8 days earlier. You suspect she may have neutropenic sepsis, however her blood results are still pending.

What would be the appropriate first steps in managing this patient?

Select the SINGLE most appropriate option from the list below. Select ONE option only.