Infectious Complications After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Children in a Bone Marrow Transplant Unit in Colombia

Abstract

To address the relative lack of information about infections occurring in children following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplants (allo-HSCT) in developing countries, we performed a retrospective cohort study of 139 children who underwent 150 allo-HSCTs in a hospital in Cali, Colombia. Most allo-HSCT (n=144, 96%) were followed by infections over the following year, primarily due to bacteria (4.3 per 1000 patient-days) and CMV (3.3 per 1000 patient-days). Most infections occurred in the first 30 days post HSTC. High mortality (n=44, 31.7%) was associated with infections, but has declined annually from 40% to 17% over the period covered (2012-2017).