Procalcitonin as a biomarker for predicting bacterial infection in chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy recipients.

BACKGROUND: It is unknown whether serum procalcitonin (PCT) concentration monitoring can differentiate between bacterial infection or cytokine release syndrome (CRS) when chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) recipients present with a constellation of signs and symptoms that may represent both complications. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to assess the utility of serum PCT concentrations as a biomarker of bacterial infection in CAR-T recipients. STUDY DESIGN: This single-center, retrospective, medical record review evaluated patients prescribed CAR-T therapy until death or 30 days after infusion. Logistic regression modeling determined the association between elevated serum PCT concentrations within 48 h of fever onset and microbiologically confirmed infection. Secondary outcomes included clinically suspected infection, CAR-T toxicity rates, and broad-spectrum antibiotic usage. Predictive performance of PCT was assessed by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). RESULTS: The 98 included patients were a median age of 63 (IQR: 55-69) years old, 47 (48%) were male, and 87 (89%) were Caucasian. Baseline demographics and clinical characteristics were similar between patients with and without a bacterial infection. Serum PCT >0.4 ng/mL within 48 h of fever was significantly associated with a microbiologically confirmed bacterial infection (OR: 2.75 [95% CI: 1.02-7.39], p = 0.045). Median PCT values in patients with and without confirmed infections were 0.40 ng/mL (IQR: 0.26, 0.74) and 0.26 ng/mL (IQR: 0.13, 0.47), respectively. The AUC for PCT to predict bacterial infection was 0.62 (95% CI 0.48-0.76). All patients experienced CRS of some grade, with no difference in CRS severity based on elevated PCT. Broad-spectrum antibiotics were used for a median of 45% and 23% of days in those with and without confirmed infection, respectively (p = 0.075). CONCLUSION: Elevated serum PCT concentrations above 0.4 ng/mL at time of first fever after CAR-T infusion was significantly associated with confirmed bacterial infection. Furthermore, rigorous, prospective studies should validate our findings and evaluate serial PCT measurements to optimize antimicrobial use after CAR-T therapy.

Associated Mortality Risk of Proton Pump Inhibitor Therapy for the Prevention of Stress Ulceration in Intensive Care Unit Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

GOALS: The aim was to systematically evaluate risks and benefits of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use for stress ulcer prophylaxis in the critically ill patient. BACKGROUND: Whether PPIs increase mortality in the critically ill patient remains controversial. STUDY: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and cohort studies with trial sequential analysis, Bayesian sensitivity analysis, and fragility index analysis. RESULTS: A total of 31 studies in 78,009 critically ill adults receiving PPIs versus any comparator were included. PPI use was associated with an increased mortality risk in all studies [19.6% PPI vs. 17.5% comparator; RR: 1.10; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02-1.20; P =0.01], in the subgroup of RCTs (19.4% vs. 18.7%; RR: 1.05; 95% CI: 1.0-1.09, P =0.04), but not cohort studies (19.9% vs. 16.7%; RR: 1.12; 95% CI: 0.98-1.28, P =0.09). Results were maintained with a Bayesian sensitivity analysis (RR: 1.13; 95% credible interval: 1.035-1.227) and a fragility index analysis, but not sequential analysis ( P =0.16). RCTs with a higher baseline severity of illness revealed the greatest mortality risk with PPI use (32.1% PPI vs. 29.4% comparator; RR: 1.09; 95% CI: 1.04-1.14; P <0.001). PPI use reduced clinically important bleeding in RCTs (1.4% PPI vs. 2.1% comparator; RR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.5-0.9; P =0.009) but increased bleeding in cohort studies (2.7% PPI vs. 1.2% comparator; RR: 2.05; 95% CI: 1.2-3.52; P =0.009). PPI use was not associated with a lower incidence of clinically important bleeding when compared with histamine-2 receptor antagonists (1.3% vs. 1.9%; RR: 0.59; 95% CI: 0.28-1.25, P =0.09). CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis demonstrated an association between PPI use and an increased risk of mortality.

A Single-Center Retrospective Evaluation of the Use of Oral Factor Xa Inhibitors in Patients With Cerebral Venous Thrombosis.

BACKGROUND: Clinical practice guidelines recommend that cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) be managed with long-term anticoagulant therapy using warfarin or low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) for 3 to 12 months. However, oral factor Xa inhibitors may offer preferable alternative treatment options for these patients. OBJECTIVE: The primary objective was to determine the effectiveness and safety of rivaroxaban or apixaban compared with warfarin or enoxaparin as long-term anticoagulation therapy for patients with a new diagnosis of CVT. METHODS: This was a single-center retrospective review of patients with newly diagnosed CVT who received acute and maintenance anticoagulation treatment. Study groups compared patients who received warfarin, enoxaparin, or an oral factor Xa inhibitor as their maintenance anticoagulant. The primary outcome was recurrent thrombotic events while on anticoagulation. Secondary outcomes included modified Rankin Scale, improved cerebral venous sinus opacification, duration of anticoagulant therapy, bleeding events during anticoagulant therapy, and adverse effects. RESULTS: A total of 119 patients were included in the analysis: warfarin (89), enoxaparin (11), and oral factor Xa inhibitor (19). The risk of recurrent thrombotic events were 11.2%, 0%, and 10.5% in the warfarin, enoxaparin, and oral factor Xa inhibitor treatment groups, respectively (P = 0.7635). There were no significant between-group differences observed regarding any of the secondary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Although the sample size is limited, these findings indicate that oral factor Xa inhibitors are a reasonable treatment option for patients with CVT. There was a trend toward more persistent symptoms in patients on warfarin, suggesting a potential improvement in recovery among patients that received an oral factor Xa inhibitor.

Assessment of Opioid Cross-reactivity and Provider Perceptions in Hospitalized Patients With Reported Opioid Allergies.

Background: The incidence of opioid allergy cross-reactivity in hospitalized patients with historical opioid allergies remains unknown. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to characterize the incidence of newly suspected IgE-mediated reactions (IMRs) based on clinical criteria among patients with a chart-documented opioid allergy and to assess clinician perceptions of opioid allergies. Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted in hospitalized adults with a historically documented opioid allergy who received a subsequent opioid. The primary outcome was the incidence of allergic cross-reactivity between clinical and chemical opioid classes in patients with historical IMRs (H-IMRs) identified by clinical criteria, ICD-9 diagnosis codes, or allergic reaction treatment. Secondary outcomes included the incidence of opioid intolerances incorrectly documented as allergies and a survey to clinicians to assess the impact of opiate warnings on prescribing practices. Results: A total of 499 patients with historical opioid allergies were included. H-IMR to an opioid of any class was not significantly associated with IMR cross-reactivity to the same or any other class, with cross-reactivity rates ranging from 0% to 6.7%. Of the historical chart-documented allergies, 249 reactions (50%) were determined to be intolerances. A total of 461 (92.5%) patients successfully tolerated readministration of opioids despite a chart-documented allergy, and 8 (1.6%) patients developed possible IMR (7 pruritus, 1 possible anaphylaxis). Survey results (n = 54) indicated that opiate allergy warnings were neutral or unlikely to change opiate prescribing. Conclusions: The risk of IMRs caused by opioids is low in patients with H-IMRs to opioids. Opioid allergy documentations may propagate alert fatigue and unwarranted prescribing changes.