Medical Infusion Research Articles

Use of Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC) for the Infusion of Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Products Is Safe and Effective

Introduction: Cryopreserved peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) products are thawed at bedside and infused by gravity through a large bore central venous line (CVL). Peripherally inserted central venous catheters (PICC) are routinely used for infusion of blood products and medications but are rarely used to administer hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC). The rationale for this practice is not well established but the general assumption is that the smaller gauge sizes of the PICC and resultant decreased infusion rates would damage the HPCs. The use of PICC to infuse HPCs can have many benefits, such as patient comfort, cost effectiveness, and reducing potential line-related complications from the insertion of a large bore, and often additional, CVL. These line-related complications include infections, pneumothorax, haematomas, etc. The aim of this prospective observational study is to present the experience of using PICC in lymphoma patients receiving autologous PBSC transplantation in terms of the safety and efficacy. Methodology: From September 2019 to June 2020, a prospective observational study involving 16 patients with lymphoma undergoing autologous PBSC transplantation was conducted in National University Cancer Institute, Singapore (NCIS). The patients were divided into 2 groups - the first group included 9 lymphoma patients who received their autologous PBSC transplant via PICC, while the second/control group included 7 lymphoma patients who received the treatment via a large bore CVL. The types of PICC and CVL inserted for the patients were standardized - 19G dual lumen PICC and 7Fr triple lumen non-tunnelled CVL respectively. All the CVLs were inserted in the right internal jugular vein, while the PICC were inserted in either the brachial or basilic veins. All patients in both groups underwent BEAM conditioning transplantation regime prior to autologous PBSC transplantation. The duration of the catheter-in-situ, catheter-associated complications, PBSC infusion rate, CD34 cell dose, total nucleated cell dose infused, and the time for absolute neutrophil and platelet count engraftment were analysed for the study. Results: The baseline characteristics and results for both groups are shown in Table 1. It is important to highlight that for the first group using PICC, none of them had any adverse event from PBSC transplantation. 44.4% of the patients had only minor issues during the PBSC infusion, mainly due to slower infusion rate and sediments were seen in the tubing of the PICC. These issues were quickly overcome by manual flushing of the PICC with normal saline fluid boluses. Only 1 out of 9 had a mild skin irritation at the insertion site of the PICC. For the second/control group using CVL, 43% of them had both PICC and CVL in-situ at one point of their treatment. These patients underwent an additional procedure for CVL insertion and the CVL was removed within 2 weeks of insertion. Only 1 out of 7 patients had minor issue of severe nausea during the PBSC infusion. There was no adverse event during the PBSC infusion or catheter associated complication. Conclusion: Our study showed that the use of PICC is safe and effective for patients receiving autologous PBSC transplantation, compared to the conventional large bore central venous catheters. Despite having longer PBSC infusion rate for PICC, the time taken for neutrophil and platelet recovery between both groups were comparable and there were no serious complications. Table Disclosures Chng: Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen: Honoraria, Research Funding; Abbvie: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria.

Real World Evaluation of Deviation Outcomes in an Immune Effector Cell Quality Program

Introduction City of Hope (COH) was one of the first institutions to be granted Immune Effector Cell (IEC) Therapy accreditation by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy, which supports our mission to provide safe, high quality patient care through expanded standardization. As part of the accreditation requirements, COH expanded established processes developed to monitor standard of care (SOC) deviations for the Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Program to our IEC Clinical Program. As part of process improvement, we monitored our IEC Quality program to determine if there were any outcome changes as a result of deviations. Therefore, we performed a retrospective analysis of electronically submitted SOC deviations for patients treated with commercially available chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell products (tisagenlecleucel or axicabtagene ciloleucel [Axi-cel]) between December 2017- March 2020 at COH. Methods During the reporting timeframe, 122 patients were planned to be treated with an IEC product. We retrieved 28 requests for SOC deviations from our electronic database for 24 of 122 patients. We analyzed for volume, trends and patient outcomes of submitted deviation requests, including trends in type of deviation, transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU), length of inpatient hospital stay and safety outcomes at 30 days post infusion. Patients who did not receive their SOC product for any reason during the reporting timeframe, or were lost to follow-up were excluded from the outcomes analysis. Results Sixteen of 24 patients were planned to be treated with SOC Axi-cel and 8 of 24 patients were planned to be treated with tisagenlecleucel; only 19 of 24 patients (10 women and 9 men) underwent infusion with their respective SOC product, 15 with Axi-cel and 4 with tisagenlecleucel. Five of 24 patients, including 1 Axi-cel and 4 tisagenlecleucel patients were excluded due to change in medical condition or infusion after the reporting timeframe. We identified elevated creatinine levels as the most common reason for SOC deviation requests for patients to be treated with tisagenlecleucel (4 of 8 patients), while deviations relating to rest days between lymphodepletion and CAR T cell infusion were the most common submitted deviations for patients planned to be treated with Axi-cel (9 of 16 patients). We also descriptively compared patients who required SOC deviations to a cohort of patients (n=98) who did not require deviations and were treated with either axicabtagene ciloleucel (n=86) or tisagenlecleucel (n=12) during the same timeframe. Eight of 98 (8%) of patients who did not have requests for SOC deviation were transferred to the ICU compared to 4 of 19 (21%) patients who required SOC deviations. Seventeen of 19 and 94 of 98 patients were discharged. The median length of inpatient hospital stay post infusion for SOC deviations cohorts who were discharged was 16 days (11-40) and 15 days (8-100) for non-SOC deviations patients. When we descriptively compared survival outcomes at 30 days post infusion, we found that all (4 of 4) patients who required SOC deviations and received tisagenlecleucel survived compared to 11 of 12 patients without SOC deviations. For patients who received Axi-cel, 14 of 15 patients with SOC deviations survived at day 30 post infusion compared to 85 of 86 patients without SOC deviations. The response to treatment and toxicities will be reported at the meeting. Conclusion These data suggest that careful selection of patients who may benefit from SOC deviations and still receive their infusion may not negatively affect survival outcomes at 30 days. The SOC deviation review process offers physicians a forum to evaluate non-SOC eligible cases and advise on SOC policy changes. While preliminary, our quality review identifies a role for comprehensive analysis of all IEC SOC deviations as part of standard practice, especially as the field of cellular immunotherapy expands to include more SOC cellular products. Overall, further monitoring of SOC deviations in real world patient populations treated with commercially available IEC products will allow us to continue to support patient safety, assess patient care management practices, expand patient access, meet accreditation standards and monitor SOC practice changes while advancing the field of cellular immunotherapy. Disclosures Shouse: Kite Pharma: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Mott:Janssen/Johnson & Johnson: Consultancy; Juno/BMS: Consultancy. Budde:Gilead Sciences: Consultancy; AstraZeneca: Research Funding; Merck: Research Funding; Mustang Therapeutics: Research Funding; Kite, a Gilead Company: Consultancy; Roche: Consultancy; Amgen: Research Funding.

A New Successful Rapid Desensitization Protocol for Hypersensitivity Reactions to Carboplatin and Rituximab in the Pediatric Setting

Introduction Hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs) can be induced by many medications, including chemotherapy agents and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Virtually all chemotherapeutics have the potential to initiate infusion reactions. Allergies to chemotherapeutics and biologic agents usually manifest with skin symptoms (rash, itching, and swelling), angioedema, or even potentially fatal anaphylactic reactions. Medication allergies may lead to discontinuation of life-prolonging therapies and therefore worsen prognosis. For clinical situations where hypersensitivity reactions prevent administration of a critical medication, desensitization can be an extremely useful addition to the clinical toolkit. In the early 2000s, multiple clinical trials showed that Rapid Drug Desensitization (RDD) for chemotherapy and mAbs was safe and effective in improving clinical outcomes and allowing patients to remain on preferred first-line therapy. Desensitization is challenging however, and this is reflected in variable success rates reported in the literature. One recent review noted successful desensitization in anywhere from 20 to 75% of cases (Ruggiero et al. 2017). This wide range is likely due to different methods of desensitization used in various studies. There are multiple variables influencing the success of desensitization, including the starting dose, the infusion rate, and the number of increments. Desensitization protocols are often complex requiring multiple changes in the rate and volume of medication administered between steps--making it difficult to complete them correctly. We have developed a new, simpler desensitization method that does not require multiple changes in the infusion rate and volume, thus reducing clinical confusion and leading to improved patient outcomes. Methods We developed a standardized protocol for rapid desensitization in patients who had hypersensitivity reactions to carboplatin or rituximab. This new desensitization method utilizes the same rate, administration time, and volume for each dose, only changing the drug concentration gradually between steps. This method helps minimize the chance of errors that occur due to repeatedly reprogramming the rate and volume of the infusion. A total of 10 patients were treated under this desensitization protocol between November 2017 and June 2020 for a total of 76 desensitization episodes. Initial desensitization occurred in the medical intensive care unit and subsequent infusions of carboplatin took place in an outpatient hematology-oncology setting. We retrospectively analyzed safety and efficacy of this novel desensitization protocol through review of treatment records. Results Of the 76 desensitizations performed, no adverse reactions occurred during desensitization and patients received their full target dose in all cases. No breakthrough reactions were noted during subsequent infusions of carboplatin or rituximab in desensitized patients. To prevent breakthrough reactions, antihistamines, corticosteroids and a leukotriene modifier were administered as pre-medications. Patients undergoing carboplatin desensitization were able to be switched from a 12-step protocol to a 10-step protocol with the same 100 % success rate in completing the entire planned cycle of chemotherapy. Discussion This retrospective analysis demonstrated a statistically and clinically significant reduced rate of breakthrough reactions in comparison to previous reports (Brennan et al. 2009). The other benefits of this novel method include improvement in safety of administration and cost savings. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

A Pilot Trial of Pre-Transplant Risk Stratification and Prophylactic Defibrotide to Prevent Serious Thrombotic Microangiopathy in High-Risk Pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Patients

Background: Transplant associated thrombotic microangiopathy (TA-TMA) is a known complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) associated with endothelial injury that leads to end organ damage and high morbidity and mortality. No proven method for prevention of TA-TMA exists. One strategy is to decrease or even prevent the initial endothelial injury during conditioning. Defibrotide is an anti-inflammatory and anti-thrombotic agent that has been shown to protect the endothelium from damage and treat TA-TMA. We hypothesize that prophylactic use of defibrotide during HSCT conditioning and acute recovery may potentially prevent TA-TMA. Methods: We initiated a pilot single-arm phase II trial (NCT#03384693) to evaluate the safety and feasibility of administering prophylactic defibrotide to pediatric patients at high risk for the development of TA-TMA following HSCT. Additionally, we sought to determine if administration of prophylactic defibrotide would prevent the development of TA-TMA in clinically high-risk patients compared to historic controls. High-risk patients were defined as either patients with high-risk neuroblastoma whose treatment plan included autologous tandem transplants conditioned with cyclophosphamide/thiotepa (Cy/TT) and carboplatin/etoposide/melphalan (CEM), or allogeneic transplant patients undergoing myeloablative conditioning, with at least three of the following: age ≥10 years old, race/ethnicity other than Caucasian, ABO minor incompatibility, or haploidentical donor. Based on prior analysis at our center, we anticipated an incidence of TA-TMA of 28% in the high-risk patients undergoing allogeneic transplants and 40% in the neuroblastoma patients. Patients received defibrotide 6.25mg/kg IV q6h the day prior to the start of conditioning through day +21 and received supportive care per institution guidelines, including maintaining platelets above 30 x10^9/L. Patients were prospectively monitored for TA-TMA from admission through week 24. Results: Twenty-five patients were enrolled, 14 with neuroblastoma and 11 undergoing allogeneic HSCT. The median age was 3.45 (2.1-10.1) and 15.7 (0.8-27.4) years for autologous and allogeneic patients, respectively. Ten of the allogenic transplants were with an alpha-beta T-cell depleted haploidentical HSCT, while one was with a matched unrelated HSCT. Follow-up is complete on all patients. Defibrotide was stopped early due to clinically significant bleeding in 3 patients (day +3, +6 and +10, respectively). Bleeding episodes were excessive bleeding from oral hematoma, diffuse alveolar hemorrhage, and melanic stools and epistaxis and were classified as "possibly related" to the study drug. The other 22 patients missed a median of 0.7% of doses (0-5.2%), most often due to concomitant medication infusions. There were no allergic or hypersensitivity reactions. One patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in CR4 died during the study period from respiratory failure in the setting of disseminated aspergillus and veno-occlusive disease (VOD), leading to a TRM of 0% and 9.1% in the autologous and allogeneic patients, respectively. Of the neuroblastoma patients, 4 did not go on to receive a second transplant; three due to development of moderate to severe VOD and one per parental preference. Five of the 14 neuroblastoma patients developed VOD, 4 after Cy/TT (1 mild, 2 moderate, 1 severe) and 1 after CEM (mild); all of which resolved. One patient developed non-severe TA-TMA, diagnosed 12 days post-HSCT (4% incidence). She received an alpha-beta T-cell depleted peripheral blood HSCT from her mother for ALL after conditioning with total body irradiation, cyclophosphamide, thiotepa, and ATG. Her course was complicated by diffuse alveolar hemorrhage on day +6 for which defibrotide was stopped. Her TA-TMA was treated with eculizumab and resolved without sequelae. Conclusions: 12% (3/25) patients required early discontinuation of defibrotide due to clinically significant bleeding; no other severe adverse events occurred due to the study intervention. The observed TA-TMA incidence of 4% was far below the anticipated rate of 28-40%. Our study provides preliminary evidence that defibrotide prophylaxis is safe and feasible in children and adolescents undergoing HSCT at high risk for TA-TMA and may reduce the risk of TA-TMA. Future larger randomized studies are needed to verify these findings. Disclosures Higham: Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding. Shimano:Dova Pharmaceuticals: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Research Funding; Daiichi Sankyo: Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding. OffLabel Disclosure: Defibrotide- off label use as prophylaxis for transplant associated thrombotic microangiopathy (TA-TMA)

WITHDRAWN: Medical intelligent infusion monitoring system based on 5G network and FPGA

Abstract Medical infusions emphasize an approach to a distributed patient-centric approach, following a rapid transition from traditional hospitals and professionals. Several technological advances have provided medical assistance from long distances to facilitate this rapid transformation of medical verticality. Continuous medical infusion intelligent monitoring system improves people's lifestyle. These systems collect vehicle body signals via biomedical sensors and various collection systems to provide information about the patient's health. Multiple tasks are accomplished with the same interface, buffering and compression FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) devices. Capacitor interface circuits are used for medical infusion intelligence, which is based on the principle of capacitor frequency-voltage conversion. However, to achieve the highest monitoring quality, the patient's health level needs to be analyzed. In this article, patients with continuous infusion health monitoring can use 5 G technology and propose a system through it. The proposed system includes wearable sensors and devices, smartphones, and database systems that maintain data for all patients. The intelligent injection monitoring screen is displayed graphically after dripping the information obtained by observation and gadget injection. When the temperature sensor value reaches the threshold, the fluid flow is stopped immediately without any airflow in the patient's veins when the control valve is closed. The medical infusion data is compressed to avoid sending repeated values of any of the targets to further reduce power consumption.

Infusion of Antineoplastic Therapies in the Home.

Infusion of antineoplastic medications in nontraditional settings, including the home, is not a new concept. However, the emergence of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, has accelerated conversations around ensuring that patients with cancer can continue timely cancer treatment regimens while minimizing their risk of COVID-19 exposure and infection. Administration of antineoplastics through home infusion has been offered as a potential solution and continues to gain momentum among healthcare facilities and third-party payers.

Preventing infectious diseases in Intensive Care Unit by medical devices remote control: Lessons from COVID-19.

The management of COVID-19 patients in the ICUs requires several and prolonged life-support systems (mechanical ventilation, continuous infusions of medications and nutrition, renal replacement therapy). Parameters have to be entered continuously into the device user interface by healthcare personnel according to the dynamic clinical condition. This leads to an increased risk of cross-contamination, use of personal protective equipment and the need for stringent and demanding protocols. Cables and tubing extensions have been utilized to make certain devices usable outside the patient's room but at the cost of introducing further hazards. Remote control of these devices decreases the frequency of unnecessary interventions and reduces the risk of exposure for both patients and healthcare personnel.

Evaluating Ceftriaxone 80 mg/kg Administration by Rapid Intravenous Infusion-A Clinical Service Evaluation.

In pediatric ambulatory care, the speed of medication infusion can have major impact on healthcare staff workload and the number of children able to be treated by services designed to reduce inpatient length of stay. In many regions of the world, local and supraregional guidelines allow ceftriaxone infusions of ≥50 mg/kg in infants and children up to 12 years of age to be given over 10 minutes. The generic European summary of product characteristics for ceftriaxone does not state a specific infusion time for this dose range, although 1 manufacturers' summary of product characteristics in the United Kingdom states a 30-minute minimum infusion time. We conducted a formal service evaluation of a change in practice at a large UK pediatric children's hospital and demonstrated the clinical feasibility, safety, and high parent satisfaction of 10-minute ceftriaxone infusions for prescribed doses ≥50 mg/kg. This approach can improve patient flow within hospital-based ambulatory services as well as by community nursing teams administering antibiotics at home.

Development of an innovative delivery system for bacillus Calmette-Guérin bladder administration.

To describe the development of an innovative process to deliver bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) to an offsite urology clinic for bladder instillation. The use of BCG, a live virus vaccine for treatment of patients with localized cancer of the urinary bladder, has created many logistical problems for hospitals and infusion center pharmacies. Due to its short stability, the drug cannot be made ahead of time and coordination with a patient's arrival at an infusion site is challenging. This becomes exceptionally challenging when a urology clinic has limited compounding capacity and/or is distant from the site of BCG medication preparation. This article describes an innovative process involving use of closed-system transfer devices (CSTDs) to allow for the administration of BCG in a urology clinic offsite from a medical center's infusion center facilities. The use of the CSTD allowed the patients to continue to receive bladder instillations at an offsite urology clinic without significantly disrupting compounding workflow at the small infusion center pharmacy that was the nearest to the clinic.

Application of colloidal-hyperosmolar solution in the early postoperative period in patients after cardiosurgery

Objective. To substantiate the safety of the infusion drug Hecoton in the early postoperative period in patients after cardiac surgery.
 Materials and methods. The study involved 60 patients receiving infusions of 200 ml colloid-hyperosmolar solution Gecotone. The solution contains: hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.42 – 5 %, polyatomic alcohol xylitol – 5 %, sodium lactate – 1.5 % and electrolytes Na+, K+, Ca++, Mg++, Cl-. The total amount of sodium in the solution is 270 mmol/l, which is 2 times higher than its concentration in blood plasma. The amount of lactate is 133 mmol/l, which is 4 times higher than in isotonic polyelectrolyte solutions. The total osmolarity of the drug is 890 mOsm/l. Vital signs, hemodynamics, glucose, arterial blood gas and acid-base status was evaluated before, during and infusion of medication.
 Results and discussion. Gecoton infusions had no adverse effect on hemodynamic parameters. All changes were not statistically significant. The mean values of the patient’s body temperature were within the normal range. There was no case of temperature increase above 36.9 °C in all patients after administration of the drug. There was a slight, statistically unreliable increase in the mean glucose level (from 8.57±0.42 to 9.53±0.48 mmol/l), which was most likely due to response to the surgical stress. Dynamics of arterial blood gas and acid-base state shows that pH and PaCO2 practically did not change, decrease of PaO2 from 115.69±5.52 mm Hg to 110,79±4,83 mm Hg after the infusion of Gecotone, was statistically unreliable, the base excess showed little dynamics to increase (from -1.84±0.35 to -1.29±0.23 mmol/l) after administration of Gecotone.
 Conclusions. The use of the complex colloid-hyperosmolar infusion solution Gecotone in patients after cardiac surgery in the early postoperative period is safe.

Reducing medical oncology infusion no-show rate by improving patient and intra-clinic communication.

47 Background: Parkland Health and Hospital System (PHHS) is the safety-net health system for Dallas County. In a resource-limited health care system, no-shows create waste and delay care. We sought to decrease the no-show rate (NSR) for patients scheduled for infusions, transfusions, and injections in the PHHS medical oncology infusion center by 33% in a 4-month period. Methods: A multidisciplinary team reviewed the NSR from January 2020 to May 2020. The reasons for missed appointments were investigated via chart review to better develop an intervention for meaningful change. A telephone follow-up protocol by the infusion nurses with standardized documentation and communication with the clinic and scheduling teams (intra-clinic communication) was implemented for each missed infusion appointment starting in February 2020. Results: The infusion center had a 16.4% NSR in January 2020. Of the 306 missed appointments, there was no documented reason for 44% (159). 19% (70) were related to change in plan-of-care; 19% (67) were in patients who had been admitted. Patient-related issues (transportation, illness, work/family obligations, etc.) were 13% of no-shows. Only 40 (11%) of the no-shows had a follow-up call. After implementation of follow-up telephone calls, the NSR was 11.2% by May 2020, a 32% decrease. 57.8% (204/1822) of patients who no-showed received a follow-up call to document reason for the missed appointment. Conclusions: We decreased the NSR in the PHHS medical oncology infusion center by 32% over a 4-month period, nearly reaching our goal, by implementing standardized post-no-show follow-up calls. Through our process, we discovered that communication, with the patient and intra-clinic, accounted for the most missed appointments rather than patient-related or other factors. Perhaps confounding our results were changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, including mandatory telephone screening of patients prior to infusion appointments. Next steps include integrating pre-appointment calls into the workflow, standardizing change-in-plan communication, and cost analysis of interventions in our resource-limited setting.

Surgical Treatment of Parkinson's Disease: Devices and Lesion Approaches.

Surgical treatments have transformed the management of Parkinson's disease (PD). Therapeutic options available for the management of PD motor complications include deep brain stimulation (DBS), ablative or lesioning procedures (pallidotomy, thalamotomy, subthalamotomy), and dopaminergic medication infusion devices. The decision to pursue these advanced treatment options is typically done by a multidisciplinary team by considering factors such as the patient's clinical characteristics, efficacy, ease of use, and risks of therapy with a goal to improve PD symptoms and quality of life. DBS has become the most widely used surgical therapy, although there is a re-emergence of interest in ablative procedures with the introduction of MR-guided focused ultrasound. In this article, we review DBS and lesioning procedures for PD, including indications, selection process, and management strategies.

Reducing the Risk of Vaccine Preventable Diseases During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Reducing the Risk of Vaccine Preventable Diseases During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Subcutaneous hydration and medications infusions (effectiveness, safety, acceptability): A systematic review of systematic reviews.

ObjectiveTo synthesize the current evidence for subcutaneous hydration and medication infusions from systematic reviews and to assess their methodological quality.IntroductionPeripheral intravascular cannula/catheter insertion is a common invasive procedure for administering fluids and medications. Venous depletion is a growing concern for several patient populations. Subcutaneous access for the administration of isotonic solutions and medications is an alternative; however, vascular access assessment and planning guidelines rarely consider this route.MethodsSystematic review of systematic reviews (PROSPERO CRD42018046504). We searched 6 databases published in English language from 1990 to June 2020, identifying subcutaneous infusions an alternate route for fluids or medication. Methodological quality was evaluated using AMSTAR 2 criteria and data for mechanisms of infusion and outcomes related to effectiveness, safety, efficiency and acceptability extracted. The Johanna Briggs Institute’s grades of recommendation informed the strength of recommendation.ResultsThe search yielded 1042 potential systematic reviews; 922 were excluded through abstract and duplicate screen. Of the remaining articles, 94 were excluded, and 26 were included. Overall, evidence is strong for recommending subcutaneous hydration infusions for older adults, weak for pediatric patients and inconclusive for palliative patients. There is strong evidence for 10 medications; weak evidence supporting 28 medications; however, there are eight medications with inconclusive evidence to make a recommendation and four medications not appropriate for subcutaneous delivery.ConclusionSubcutaneous access should be considered alongside intravenous therapy for hydration in older adults, and several medications. There are additional benefits in terms of ease of use and cost-effectiveness of this mode. Inclusion of subcutaneous access in clinical guidelines may promote uptake of this route to help preserve vessel health of vulnerable patients. Further high-quality research is needed to inform subcutaneous infusion therapy in a variety of populations (including pediatrics and palliative care) and medications and clarifying the mechanism of delivery.

English

BACKGROUND Venous access is crucial in patients who need repeated infusions. Infusion of medication through subcutaneous ports has been recognized as a valid method for repeated long-term infusions and has many advantages over other methods. The aim of the present study was to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and satisfaction of patients with subcutaneous port. METHODS In this cross-sectional study, convenient purposeful sampling method was used to select patients with subcutaneous port (n=65) who were admitted to teaching hospitals of the city of Mashhad, Iran. The instruments used in the present study included questionnaires on knowledge, attitudes, and satisfaction of patients with subcutaneous port, which were completed by patients, or the researcher in case the patient is unable to do so. Data analysis was then carried out using descriptive statistics. RESULTS The results of the present study showed that 46.6% of patients (n=26) were generally satisfied with port placement and 41.9% considered port placement as a good alternative to vein finding method. A total of 40.3% of patients (n= 25) had low anxiety about complications of port placement and reported pain as the most common complication. Furthermore, a total of 35.7% of patients had sufficient knowledge of the reason of port placement, 31.7% of the procedure, and 40.5% of the associated complications. CONCLUSIONS Results of the present study provide necessary information regarding port placement perception and knowledge among patients. The results are effective in recognizing perception and knowledge of patients with subcutaneous port and can thus be used to plan patient education and reduce patients’ problems.

The Role of Pharmacists in Home Medical Care of Patients with Heart Failure

In recent years, home medical care has been strongly promoted. As a consequence, the conditions managed in home medical care have become increasingly diverse. Heart failure is one of the most common disorders after malignant diseases. Patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) are often forced into hospitalization because of the inability to control symptoms with oral medications, even though they hope to stay at home. Recently, we have experienced a case where the patient required continuous administration of dobutamine at home. In order to carry out CHF care at home successfully, it is necessary to adjust the doses of catecholamine and furosemide swiftly in response to changes in patients' conditions. In this case, the patient was able to spend four months at home thanks to the cooperation of a team of a physician, nurses, and pharmacists. Catecholamine-dependent patients with terminal CHF require expensive medical infusion pumps for precise administration. However, the economic assistance to such patients remains insufficient. Furthermore, dobutamine and furosemide injections are not dispensed extramurally, and therefore might become an impediment to the cooperation of the team. In this symposium, I consider and discuss the role of pharmacists in a home medical care team for patients with terminal CHF.

The Need And Benefit of Implementing Telemedicine in Clinical Practice

The Need And Benefit of Implementing Telemedicine in Clinical Practice

Vascular Access in Children With Blood Disorders or Cancer.

* Abbreviations: CVAD — : central venous access device miniMAGIC — : Michigan Appropriateness Guide for Intravenous Catheters in Pediatrics PICC — : peripherally inserted central catheter Children with disorders of blood and cancer frequently require long-term central venous access devices (CVADs) for recurrent blood draws, blood transfusions, and infusion of caustic medications, such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and biological agents. Their diagnosis puts them at increased risk for other comorbidities, such as systemic infection from neutropenia, along with thrombosis secondary to malignancy, immobility, chemotherapeutic agents (eg, steroids and asparaginase), or the underlying thrombogenic state of sickle cell disease.1–3 Therefore, careful consideration is needed when choosing a CVAD that is best for these patients. The guidelines/recommendations in this article are not American Academy of Pediatrics policy, and publication herein does not imply … Address correspondence to Julie Jaffray, MD, Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Bone Marrow Transplant, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, 4650 Sunset Blvd, Mailstop #54, Los Angeles, CA 90027. E-mail: jjaffray{at}chla.usc.edu

Oncology Nursing Considerations when Developing Outpatient Staffing and Acuity Models.

Objectives include review of existing benchmarks and nurse-sensitive indicators relevant to the ambulatory care setting. Applying the data to existing ambulatory staffing models with consideration of multiple clinic settings that include medical oncology, infusion, and stem cell transplant clinics. And to describe key considerations needed to optimize oncology care efficiently with an acuity-based staffing model. Published literature indexed in PubMed, CINAHL, textbooks. In today's complex oncology environment, optimization and utilization of outpatient facilities is essential in providing high-quality care and improving satisfaction of patients as well as providers and staff. Nurse leaders should utilize benchmarking data to ensure staffing levels are appropriate, given the size and scope of their facility. Staff nurses should be engaged to ensure that acuity tools are developed in accordance with their experiences and perceptions of patient care.

Sedation Practices of Neonates Receiving Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

Neonatal sedation practices during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) are not well described and no universal guidelines exist. Current literature describes types of medications used in adult and pediatric ECMO patients, but to our knowledge no data is published on neonatal specific median daily dose requirements or descriptions of sedation practices. The objective of this study is to examine the types and median doses of sedation utilized and to describe sedation practices for neonatal patients requiring ECMO support. This study was a descriptive, retrospective analysis of sedation practices in a single center newborn/infant intensive care unit (N/IICU) from 2012 to 2016. Subjects included all neonates who required ECMO support in the N/IICU for >24 hours. Data were collected from 87 patients and showed the median daily dose of opioids converted to intravenous morphine equivalents was 1.2, 2.0, and 3.4 mg/kg on ECMO days 1, 7, and 14, respectively. The most commonly used continuous medication infusions included morphine, midazolam, and hydromorphone. Dexmedetomidine was used in eight patients and ketamine in two patients. Doses of opioids and sedatives typically escalated over time. Pain scores did not correlate with sedation or analgesic administrations.