American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Certification Practice Exam

Febrile neutropenia is generally defined by a temperature greater than:

1. 37.5 C

2. 38.3 C

3. 39.0 C

4. 37.0 C

The correct answer is: 38.3 C

Febrile neutropenia is characterized by a fever in patients with neutropenia, typically defined as an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) of less than 500 cells/mm³. The threshold for fever in this context is a temperature of 38.3 degrees Celsius (101 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher. This specific temperature is important in clinical practice because it serves as an indicator that the patient may be at increased risk for infection, which can be life-threatening due to their compromised immune status. It's crucial for healthcare providers to recognize this threshold because timely intervention, such as administering empiric antibiotic therapy, is vital to improving outcomes in patients with febrile neutropenia. Recognizing the definition accurately helps in making prompt and effective clinical decisions regarding patient management. The other temperatures listed do not meet the specific criterion established for the diagnosis of febrile neutropenia, thereby underscoring the importance of 38.3 degrees Celsius as the correct choice.