Hall, Matt

Abstract BACKGROUND As an adjunct to direct electrical stimulation (DES), intraoperative electrocorticography (ECoG) can aid detection of language-eloquent cortex. However, it is unclear how surgical impact upon mapping findings relates to cognitive-linguistic outcomes. METHODS Ten patients underwent awake craniotomy for tumor resection with ECoG and DES language mapping. Mapping utilized iPad stimulus presentation coupled to an electrode array capable of both recording ECoG activity and delivering DES. Time-frequency gamma band activations were visualized (Early, Long, Late, Double Peak) for 3 naming paradigms (Object, Action, Auditory). DES was also conducted for each task. Mapping results were overlayed on postoperative MRI to examine proximity to parenchymal trauma (cavity, sulcal displacement). Patients completed cognitive-linguistic testing [WAB-R (N=3) or Neuropsychological Assessment (N=7)] prior to surgery and <2 months postoperatively. Patients with persisting aphasia at 6-month follow-up were also identified. RESULTS Postoperative language decline was found in 50% of patients, with 30% showing worsening (>1SD) in Naming and Phonemic Fluency, and 60% in Semantic Fluency. Surgery impacted ECoG features in 60% of patients and DES arrest sites in 30%. A trend was observed where Early and Late Object naming ECoG features were associated with Semantic Fluency decline [rpb(5)=-.69, p=.067]. Arrest during Auditory naming DES <1 cm of surgical effect was associated with decline in Abstraction [rpb(5)=-.83, p=.042; FET, p=.029] and Semantic Fluency [rpb(5)=-.87, p=.012; FET, p=.024]. Excluding the 3 transsulcal surgeries, arrest during Auditory naming DES <1 cm of resection was associated with general language decline [FET, p=.047]. All 3 patients with persisting aphasia had Auditory naming arrest <1 cm of resection and 2/3 patients had Object naming ECoG features resected. CONCLUSIONS While preliminary, results suggest that surgical proximity to ECoG and DES mapping results may inform risk of surgically-acquired cognitive-linguistic decline. Findings support the potential of multimethod-multitask intraoperative language mapping.

OBJECTIVES To characterize patterns of surgery among pediatric patients during terminal hospitalizations in children’s hospitals. METHODS We reviewed patients ≤20 years of age who died among 4 424 886 hospitalizations from January 2013–December 2019 within 49 US children’s hospitals in the Pediatric Health Information System database. Surgical procedures, identified by International Classification of Diseases procedure codes, were classified by type and purpose. Descriptive statistics characterized procedures, and hypothesis testing determined if undergoing surgery varied by patient age, race and ethnicity, or the presence of chronic complex conditions (CCCs). RESULTS Among 33 693 terminal hospitalizations, the majority (n = 30 440, 90.3%) of children were admitted for nontraumatic causes. Of these children, 15 142 (49.7%) underwent surgery during the hospitalization, with the percentage declining over time (P < .001). When surgical procedures were classified according to likely purpose, the most common were to insert or address hardware or catheters (31%), explore or aid in diagnosis (14%), attempt to rescue patient from mortality (13%), or obtain a biopsy (13%). Specific CCC types were associated with undergoing surgery. Surgery during terminal hospitalization was less likely among Hispanic children (47.8%; P < .001), increasingly less likely as patient age increased, and more so for Black, Asian American, and Hispanic patients compared with white patients (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS Nearly half of children undergo surgery during their terminal hospitalization, and accordingly, pediatric surgical care is an important aspect of end-of-life care in hospital settings. Differences observed across race and ethnicity categories of patients may reflect different preferences for and access to nonhospital-based palliative, hospice, and end-of-life care.

Abstract Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) are the two most common childhood leukemias. Novel drug therapies and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (alloHCT) have improved ALL and AML treatment outcomes over the past two decades. However, alloHCT may be associated with significant morbidity and mortality that results in increased healthcare utilization. To date, no multi-center comparative effectiveness studies have been performed specifically evaluating alloHCT in children with ALL or AML. This study uses a novel methodology to investigate the hypothesis that matched sibling donor (MSD) alloHCT has significantly lower healthcare utilization compared to unrelated donor (URD) and that among URD, umbilical cord blood transplants (CBT) will have higher initial utilization but lower long-term utilization. Clinical and transplant outcomes data from the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) database were merged with inpatient resource utilization and standardized cost data from the Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) database using a probabilistic merge methodology. This merged dataset contained U.S. patients age 1-21 years who received alloHCT for ALL or AML from 2004-2013 with comprehensive CIBMTR data at a PHIS reporting hospital. The primary outcomes of overall survival (OS), leukemia free survival (LFS), and inpatient resource utilization were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier analysis, Cox proportional hazards, and unadjusted Poisson regression analysis. Cost and resource comparisons for all donor types were made through day+100 and focused on URD only comparisons up to 2-year follow-up. Donor procurement costs were not directly included in this analysis. A total of 797 patients (54% of CIBMTR eligible patients and 89% of CIBMTR patients at PHIS centers) were successfully identified in both CIBMTR and PHIS; 433 had ALL and had 364 AML. LFS for ALL at 3 years was 68% for MSD, 53% for MUD, and 53% for CBT. The LFS in ALL was significantly impacted by donor type, age, disease status, and CMV (Table). The associated total costs were significantly higher for well-matched unrelated bone marrow (MUD) vs MSD at 100d ($246,149 vs $147,547, p<0.01), but CBT costs were not significantly higher compared to MUD at 100d ($275,673 vs $246,149, p=0.09). When median total costs per day were compared across donor source, findings were similar with well- MUD was significantly higher than MSD at 100d ($3,388/d vs $2,511/d, p=0.012), and no significant difference between CBT and MUD ($3,881/d vs $3,388/d, p=0.53). The corresponding average length of stay (ALOS) was 35 days for MUD, 34 days MSD, and 53 days CBT. Among URD alloHCT, median CBT costs per day were not significantly higher compared to MUD at 2yrs ($2,472/d vs $2,294/d, p=0.49). AlloHCT for AML had a 3-yr LFS of 56% for MSD, 46% for MUD, and 41% for CBT. LFS were significantly different by disease status and performance status (Table). The associated total costs were significantly higher for MUD at 100d than MSD ($259,293 vs $143,870, p<0.001), but CBT costs were not significantly higher compared to MUD at 100d ($301,160 vs $259,293, p=0.055). Comparisons of median total costs per day were similar, MUD vs MSD at 100d was significantly higher ($3,627/d vs $2,478/d, p<0.01), but CBT costs were not significantly higher compared to MUD at 100d ($3,891/d vs $3,627/d, p=0.95). The corresponding ALOS was 38 days for MUD, 35 days MSD, and 66 days CBT. Among URD alloHCT, median CBT costs per day were not significantly higher compared to MUD at 2yrs ($3,232/d vs $3,102/d, p=0.49). This study recapitulates previously published outcomes of alloHCT for acute leukemia AND adds key findings on the impact of alloHCT on inpatient resource utilization and costs. Specifically, MSD and MUD alloHCT provide similar survival outcomes; however, MSD alloHCT has a significant advantage in cost and resource utilization for both ALL and AML. Among URD transplants, CBT does not show any substantial survival or resource utilization advantage over MUD. Ongoing research will need to be performed to determine if the difference among URD alloHCT becomes significant with a larger sample size and/or beyond the 2 years following alloHCT. Table Table. Disclosures Pulsipher: Novartis: Consultancy, Other: Study Steering Committee; Jazz Pharmaceutical: Consultancy; Medac: Other: Housing support for conference; Chimerix: Consultancy. Hahn:Novartis: Equity Ownership; NIH: Research Funding.

Abstract Introduction: Current advances in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (alloHCT) may warrant a paradigm shift in managing children with sickle cell disease (SCD). This study characterizes the clinical outcomes and health care utilization (HCU) of alloHCT for pediatric SCD. We hypothesize that early alloHCT will have improved clinical outcomes, and decreased HCU. Methods: The Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research database was used to identify children 21 years or less with alloHCT for SCD in the United States. Patient data included comprehensive research forms (CRF) from 2000-13 and transplant essential data (TED) forms from 2000-11. CRFs provided clinical risk factors associated with overall survival, graft failure, grade III-IV acute GVHD, and GVHD related event free survival (GREFS) - the survival free of graft failure, chronic GVHD, or death. Risk factors included age, gender, performance status, year of alloHCT, prior SCD complications and therapy, CMV status, donor type, conditioning regimen, and GVHD prophylaxis. Due to low event rates and sample size, only univariate analysis of risk factors was performed. TED data was merged with Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) inpatient data using a probabilistic merging algorithm to determine risk factors and clinical outcomes associated with HCU. Available PHIS adjusted cost data was used to determine the total adjusted cost for all inpatient admissions per patient per hospital day. To standardize these costs, the total adjusted cost per 30 hospital days was calculated for each patient and used as the primary HCU outcome. HCU outcomes were analyzed for the alloHCT year, day 0 to day +365. Results: CRF data for 161 patients showed an overall survival at 2 years of 90% (95% confidence intervals [CI] 85-95%): 96% (95% CI 89-100%) for related and unrelated cord blood transplant (CBT), 94% (95% CI 86-98%) matched siblings (MSD), and 74% (95% CI 54-90%) matched unrelated donors (MUD, p=0.002). All deaths occurred among children with pre-alloHCT complications of SCD, and deaths were due to organ failure (37.5%), infections (25%), GVHD (6.25%). Risk of death was significantly higher for children ≥10 years old (HR 21, p=0.003) and MUD compared to MSD (HR 5.88, p=0.005) but lower with cyclosporine A (CSA) GVHD prophylaxis versus FK506 (HR 0.33, p=0.031). 75% of deaths occurred before day +42. Cumulative acute GVHD incidence at day 100 was 14% (95% CI 9-20%)and was associated with age ≥10yrs (HR 2.63, p=0.035). Chronic GVHD incidence was 31% (95% CI 23-38%) at 2yrs, and factors associated were age ≥10yrs (HR 1.92, p=0.034), MUD vs MSD (HR 2.53, p=0.017), and CSA vs FK506 prophylaxis (HR 0.48, p=0.018). Chronic GVHD risk increased significantly after 2006 (HR 2.81, p=0.018). The 2yr GREFS was 64% (95% CI 56-71%). Age ≥10yrs (HR 2.2, p=0.005), MUD (vs MSD, HR 3.00, p=0.002) and CSA prophylaxis (vs FK506, HR 0.49, p=0.011) were significantly associated with this outcome. Among the 175 patients with combined TED and PHIS data, the median total adjusted cost was $117,393 per 30 hospital days per patient (range: $36,244-$515,640) during the alloHCT year with a median of 53 hospital days per patient (range: 16-304). Age ≥10yrs and HCU were not significantly associated (p=0.775). MSD had the lowest HCU compared to CBT and unrelated transplants (p<0.001). CBT and peripheral blood stem cells were associated with higher HCU compared to bone marrow (p=0.004). Increased HCU was associated with prior stroke (p=0.0004) and pain crises (p=0.0094) but not acute chest syndrome (p=0.2913). Overall SCD complication and severity indices correlated with increased HCU (p=0.052, p=0.0219, respectively). Conclusions: AlloHCT outcomes in children with SCD were linked to age and donor type suggesting that early alloHCT before age 10 years is preferred. Specifically, SCD severity and MUD alloHCT are associated with poorer outcomes and increased HCU. This supports the recommendation of early alloHCT, prior to onset of SCD complications, for children with SCD and an available MSD. Donor source and type had a significant impact on both outcomes and HCU. CBT outcomes were similar to MSD bone marrow; yet CBT had higher HCU suggesting additional analysis is needed to determine if the clinical benefit outweighs the cost. Further analysis is also needed to better understand and mitigate risk factors associated with poor outcomes and increased HCU following MUD alloHCT. Disclosures Arnold: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program: Other: award. Hahn:NIH/NHLBI: Research Funding; Novartis: Equity Ownership.

Purpose The Next Accreditation System requires training programs to demonstrate competence among trainees. Within gastroenterology (GI), there are limited data describing learning curves and structured assessment of competence in esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and colonoscopy. In this study, the authors aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of a centralized feedback system to assess endoscopy learning curves among GI trainees in EGD and colonoscopy. Method During academic year 2016–2017, the authors performed a prospective multicenter cohort study, inviting participants from multiple GI training programs. Trainee technical and cognitive skills were assessed using a validated competence assessment tool. An integrated, comprehensive data collection and reporting system was created to apply cumulative sum analysis to generate learning curves that were shared with program directors and trainees on a quarterly basis. Results Out of 183 fellowships invited, 129 trainees from 12 GI fellowships participated, with an overall trainee participation rate of 72.1% (93/129); the highest participation level was among first-year trainees (90.9%; 80/88), and the lowest was among third-year trainees (51.2%; 27/53). In all, 1,385 EGDs and 1,293 colonoscopies were assessed. On aggregate learning curve analysis, third-year trainees achieved competence in overall technical and cognitive skills, while first- and second-year trainees demonstrated the need for ongoing supervision and training in the majority of technical and cognitive skills. Conclusions This study demonstrated the feasibility of using a centralized feedback system for the evaluation and documentation of trainee performance in EGD and colonoscopy. Furthermore, third-year trainees achieved competence in both endoscopic procedures, validating the effectiveness of current training programs.