Almost zero WBC count

[misti_z]

Had a patient this weekend...breast CA...who was on my floor (renal) only because our oncology unit was full. Her WBC was 0.5, she was put on reverse isolation. A float nurse who had her on the day shift said that when she goes to the onclology unit to work no patient are on isolation. What is your floor's procedure for an almost zero WBC count?

[globalRN]

work in hematology outpatients.

Get asked all the time about whether patients can eat fresh fruit.

If the fruit is fresh, not broken, bruised etc...and has a skin.

I let them go for it. I tell them to wash the fruit, peel the skin and enjoy. As one poster said most of the infections come from within.

These people usually have a problem with maintaining their weight and often have decreased intake...even harder when food groups are restricted. Vegetable, I usually advise cooked.

I believe that the dietary restrictions are more relaxed now than when I worked in BMT in the 80's and 90's.

As for masks, unless they are the super filtration type(which they are not)....not much good since viruses are small enough to penetrate still.

There have been studies where they looked at micro counts in the air for no masks worn in the OR vs masks in OR: no significant difference...so much for the masks.