Citations

PURPOSE: To evaluate the prevalence of burnout among hematology-oncology pharmacists and factors associated with an increased risk of high burnout. METHODS: Between October and November 2020, members of the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association were invited to complete an anonymous survey. Questions included the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), Well-Being Index, and sociodemographic and occupational factors linked with burnout. RESULTS: Of 3,024 pharmacists contacted, 614 pharmacists (20.3%) responded to an online survey and 550 (18.2% of overall sample) completed the MBI and were included for analysis. Overall, high levels of burnout were observed in 61.8% of respondents based on the MBI, with 57.9% of respondents scoring high on the emotional exhaustion domain and 31.3% high in the depersonalization domain. Pharmacists with burnout worked on average 48.6 (±9.6) hours per week compared with 44.5 (±9.6) hours per week for those without high burnout and spent more time on administrative tasks per week (7.5 hours v 4.3 hours; all P < .001). Pharmacists reporting high burnout were more likely to report concern they had made a major medication error within the past 3 months (27.6% v 8.1%; P < .001) and greater intent to leave their current job within 2 years (60.3% v 19.0%; P < .001). CONCLUSION: Burnout is prevalent among hematology-oncology pharmacists and may affect both patient safety and the adequacy of the workforce. Risk factors for burnout among hematology-oncology pharmacists in this study may be targets for burnout mitigation and prevention strategies to reduce the impact on pharmacists and improve cancer care for patients.

Abstract The prognosis of several lymphoid malignancies has improved through development of novel therapies, combination with traditional chemotherapies, and delineation of appropriate therapeutic sequencing. Toxicities that are arising because of prolonged or multiple sequential therapeutic interventions are becoming increasingly impactful. Among the broad spectrum of complications that patients with lymphoid malignancies may experience, cardiovascular toxicities are significant in terms of morbidity and mortality. The entire cardiovascular system can be affected, but cardiomyopathy, heart failure, and arrhythmias remain of greatest concerns with the use of anthracyclines, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and radiation therapy in patients with lymphoid malignancies. These aspects will be covered in this article within the framework of case-based discussions. Key to the management of cardiovascular complications in patients with lymphoid malignancies is awareness and preparedness across the cancer continuum. Baseline risk stratification helps to direct surveillance and early intervention efforts before, during, and after cancer therapy, which are paramount for the best possible outcomes. Along these lines, the overall goal is to enable the best possible therapies for lymphoid malignancies without the complications of clinically significant cardiovascular events.

Background: Renal dysfunction has emerged as an important independent prognostic factor in patients with heart failure (HF). Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) improves functional status and left ventricular (LV) function in HF patients with ventricular dyssynchrony. We hypothesized that CRT would also improve glomerular filtration rate as estimated by the abbreviated MDRD equation (eGFR) in patients with reduced eGFR. Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of the Multicenter InSync Randomized Clinical Evaluation (MIRACLE) study, which evaluated CRT in HF patients with NYHA class III–IV, ejection fraction ≤35%, QRS ≥130 ms, and stable medical regimen. Patients were evaluated before implantation and 6 months after randomization to control (CRT device OFF, n=225) or CRT (n=228). Patients were categorized according to their baseline eGFR: ≥90 (category A), 60≤eGFR<90 (category B), and 30≤eGFR<60 (category C) mL/min per 1.73m 2 . Changes in eGFR were also correlated with changes in other parameters in univariate analysis. Results: At baseline, reduced eGFR was associated with ischemic etiology, increased age, mitral regurgitation, and neurohumoral activation. CRT increased LV ejection fraction and decreased LV volumes and mitral regurgitation in all categories. Importantly, CRT improved eGFR (p=0.003) and reduced blood urea nitrogen (p=0.008) compared to control in category C, but not A (p=0.75/p=0.41) and B (p=0.43/p=0.89). In addition, only in category C did atrial natriuretic peptide decrease, suggesting reduced atrial distention and filling pressures with CRT in this group with impaired eGFR. In univariate analysis, changes in eGFR correlated weakly but significantly with changes in aldosterone (r=−0.22), plasma renin activity (r=−0.19, norepinephrine (r=−0.16), and mean blood pressure (r=+0.14), a pattern consistent with reduced neurohumoral activation due to increased systemic and renal perfusion pressure. Conclusions: CRT increased eGFR and reduced blood urea nitrogen in HF patients with reduced baseline eGFR. By improving cardiac function, CRT can indirectly improve renal function, underscoring the importance of cardiorenal interaction and providing another mechanism for the beneficial effects of CRT.

Abstract Background: Antecedent use of renin angiotensin aldosterone inhibitors (RAASi) appears crucial to prevent clinical deterioration and protect against cardiovascular and/or thrombotic complications of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), for indicated patients. Doubts have been raised about continuing treatment throughout infection, and nothing is known regarding its effect with concomitant medications. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to evaluate the differential effect of RAASi continuation in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 according to diuretic use.Methods: We used the Coracle (epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and therapy in real life patients affected by Sars-Cov-2) multi-center registry, which contains data of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 from 4 regions of Italy. We performed analyses on adult (50+ years) records with admission on/after February 22, 2020 with a known mortality or discharge status as of April 1, 2020. We constructed a multivariable Firth logistic regression model to complete our objective.Results: There were 286 patients in this analysis. Overall, 100 (35.0%) patients continued RAASi and 186 (65%) discontinued. There were 98 patients who were treated with a diuretic; 51 (52%) of those continued RAASi. The in-hospital mortality rates among patients treated with a diuretic and continued vs. discontinued RAASi were 7.8% vs 25.5% (p = 0.0179). There were 188 patients who were not treated with a diuretic; 49 (26.1%) of those continued RAASi. The in-hospital mortality rates among patients who were not treated with a diuretic and continued vs. discontinued RAASi were 16.3% vs 9.4% (p = 0.1827). After accounting for age, congestive heart failure, and coronary heart disease/ischemic heart disease, continuing RAASi decreased the risk of mortality by approximately 72% (OR = 0.28, 95% CI = 0.08 – 0.94, p = 0.0391) for patients treated with diuretics, but did not alter the risk in patients who were not treated with diuretics.Conclusion: Diuretic use in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 who were on RAASi prior to admission was associated with increased risk of in-hospital mortality. Whether this combined therapy increases risk or is the reflection of a more severe presentation deserves further investigation. Continuing RAASi therapy in patients concomitantly treated with diuretics was associated with reduced in-hospital mortality.

Following decades of decline, maternal mortality began to rise in the United States around 1990—a significant departure from the world’s other affluent countries. By 2018, the same could be seen with the maternal mortality rate in the United States at 17.4 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births. When factoring in race/ethnicity, this number was more than double among non-Hispanic Black women who experienced 37.1 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births. More than half of these deaths and near deaths were from preventable causes, with cardiovascular disease being the leading one. In an effort to amplify the magnitude of this epidemic in the United States that disproportionately plagues Black women, on June 13, 2020, the Association of Black Cardiologists hosted the Black Maternal Heart Health Roundtable—a collaborative task force to tackle the maternal health crisis in the Black community. The roundtable brought together diverse stakeholders and champions of maternal health equity to discuss how innovative ideas, solutions and opportunities could be implemented, while exploring additional ways attendees could address maternal health concerns within the health care system. The discussions were intended to lead the charge in reducing maternal morbidity and mortality through advocacy, education, research, and collaborative efforts. The goal of this roundtable was to identify current barriers at the community, patient, and clinician level and expand on the efforts required to coordinate an effective approach to reducing these statistics in the highest risk populations. Collectively, preventable maternal mortality can result from or reflect violations of a variety of human rights—the right to life, the right to freedom from discrimination, and the right to the highest attainable standard of health. This is the first comprehensive statement on this important topic. This position paper will generate further research in disparities of care and promote the interest of others to pursue strategies to mitigate maternal mortality.

AbstractIntroductionMachine learning models were used to discover novel disease trajectories for autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease.MethodsLongitudinal structural magnetic resonance imaging, amyloid positron emission tomography (PET), and fluorodeoxyglucose PET were acquired in 131 mutation carriers and 74 non‐carriers from the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network; the groups were matched for age, education, sex, and apolipoprotein ε4 (APOE ε4). A deep neural network was trained to predict disease progression for each modality. Relief algorithms identified the strongest predictors of mutation status.ResultsThe Relief algorithm identified the caudate, cingulate, and precuneus as the strongest predictors among all modalities. The model yielded accurate results for predicting future Pittsburgh compound B (R2 = 0.95), fluorodeoxyglucose (R2 = 0.93), and atrophy (R2 = 0.95) in mutation carriers compared to non‐carriers.DiscussionResults suggest a sigmoidal trajectory for amyloid, a biphasic response for metabolism, and a gradual decrease in volume, with disease progression primarily in subcortical, middle frontal, and posterior parietal regions.

AbstractThe contributors to persistent cognitive impairment and hippocampal atrophy in leucine‐rich glioma‐inactivated 1 antibody encephalitis (LGI1) patients are unknown. We evaluated whether tau neuropathology measured with [18F]flortaucipir PET neuroimaging associated with persistent cognitive impairment and hippocampal atrophy in four recovering LGI1 patients (3 men; median age, 67 [37–88] years). Imaging findings in cases were compared with those observed in age‐ and gender‐similar cognitively normal individuals (n = 124) and individuals with early‐symptomatic Alzheimer disease (n = 11). Elevated [18F]flortaucipir retention was observed in the two LGI1 patients with hippocampal atrophy and persistent cognitive impairment, including one with autopsy‐confirmed Alzheimer disease. Tau neuropathology may associate with cognitive complaints and hippocampal atrophy in recovering LGI1 patients.

Introduction: Mutations in the gene isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 (IDH2) occur in ~12-15% of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Enasidenib, an oral small molecule selective targeted inhibitor of IDH2 enzymes, was approved forIDH2mutated relapsed/refractory AML (RR-AML) in 2017 (Stein et. al., 2017). There is limited data regarding its efficacy and toxicity outside the context of clinical trials. Using Mayo Clinic's cohort of AML patients, we provide a real-world look at outcomes forIDH2mutated RR-AML patients treated with enasidenib. Methods: A total of 13 patients treated with enasidenib for RR-AML were identified, all of which experienced at least one relapse following induction chemotherapy. Response assessment was based on European Leukemia Net (ELN) 2017 response criteria.Complete blood counts including blast percentage and transfusion dependency were obtained at AML diagnosis, initiation of enasidenib, 2 months and 6 months following initiation of therapy. Transfusion dependency was defined by the need for either a red cell or platelet transfusion within 4 weeks of the designated time frame. We compared the clinical characteristics of patients who achieved complete response (CR) (n=4) to those not achieving CR (n=9), using the Mann-Whitney U test for numerical variables and the Fischer's Exact test for quantitative data. Results: The median age at diagnosis of our 13 patients was 68 years (range 60-82), with a male predilection (n=11) (Table 1). Cytogenetic and molecular genetic findings are provided in Table 2. Complete response (CR) was achieved in 4 (30.7%) patients by cycle 2 and 2 of those patients (50%) proceeded to an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (AHSCT). The median time from diagnosis to initiation of treatment for patients in CR was 3.5 months (range 1-7), and for patients not achieving CR was 13 months (range 6-53; p=0.048), with median time of follow up after treatment initiation of 23.5 months (range, 5-36) and 7 months (range, 1-14), respectively. Among 8 patients who were transfusion dependent at baseline, all the CR patients (2/2) achieved red blood cell and platelet transfusion independence 6 months after treatment, instead only (3/6) 50% of those not in CR achieved transfusion independence (p=0.028). An initial trajectory of improvement in counts is noted from the time of diagnosis to the 2 month mark post treatment with 75% of the responder cohort showing improvement in counts which was durable through the 6 month mark, whereas 55% of those that did not respond had worsening counts at month 2 and died prior to 6 month follow up. At the time of data cut-off, the median duration of CR was 14 months (range, 2-33), with 3 of 4 (75%) of responders maintaining CR. Figure 1 details overall responses and outcomes in all 13 patients. None of the patients in our study experienced differentiation syndrome. Five patients were hospitalized in the course of treatment for infectious complications. Two patients were noted to have hyperbilirubinemia however there was no clear indication that this was secondary to enasidenib Median overall survival for all 13 patients was 21 months (range, 6-53 months) with leukemia free survival of 7 months (range, 5-19 months). Furthermore, median overall survival for patients in CR was 27 months (range, 6-42), and those not in CR was 16 months (range, 6-53) (p=0.20). In addition, we observed that 75% of patients who attained CR are alive compared to 11.1% of those not in CR (p = 0.052). Conclusion: We demonstrate a superior CR rate of 30.7% with enasidenib amongstIDH2mutated RR-AML patients compared with clinical trial data showing CR rate of 19.6% (Stein et. al., 2019) despite our patients being heavily pre-treated with median number of two prior therapies (range; 1-5) including prior AHSCT in 2 patients. Moreover, a subset of patients (2 of 4 in CR) were able to undergo ASCHT. Finally, the achievement of CR at 2 months after initiation of therapy serves as an appropriate time point for response assessment. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.