Early de-escalation of empiric antibiotic therapy in neutropenic fever: a single-center, retrospective study

We implemented a policy to discontinue empiric antibiotics after 48 hours of defervescence in neutropenic fever with no identified clinical/microbiologic infection. Among patients with acute myeloid leukemia or hematopoietic stem cell transplant, early de-escalation was not associated with increased subsequent infection, decompensation, or mortality, supporting its safety and feasibility.