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e18780 Background: Patients with hematologic malignancies have a lower vaccine response and higher rates for SARS CoV-2 morbidity and mortality. We present preliminary data focusing on humoral vaccine responses and correlates with disease subtype and treatment exposure. Methods: We analyzed data from 332 patients with a hematologic malignancy from May 1, 2021 – Jan 31, 2022 who received SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and performed a prospective cohort serologic study with the Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2-S test. Patients received homologous or heterologous vaccine combination of BNT162b2, mRNA1273, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, and/or Ad26.COV2.S. Blood samples were obtained before any vaccination, 2-6 weeks after the second vaccine (2V), before third vaccine (3V), and 2-6 weeks after 3V. Results: The median age was 67 years (range 18-91years) with 41.9% female. At 2V, 11.5% and at 3V, 23.8% received heterologous vaccines. Treatment status at first vaccine dose significantly affected peak 2V antibody response (p < 0.05). Seropositive rate and median antibody titer after 2V for previously untreated patients were higher compared to patients on active therapy or had previously been treated. Treatment naïve (n = 60; seropositivity 85.1%; median titer 1306 U/mL; [Q1-Q3:11.4- > 2499]); first-line (1L) active therapy (n = 127;65.4%; 41.25 U/mL; [ < 0.8-592.5]); second-line and beyond (2L+) active therapy (n = 56; 60.7%; 2.6U/mL; [ < 0.8-154]); previous treatment with 1L (n = 66;64.8%; 118 U/mL; [ < 0.8- > 2499]); previous treatment with 2L+ (n = 23; 59.1%; 4U/mL; [ < 0.8-229.5]). Of 61 patients that were seronegative at 2V, 17 (27.9%) seroconverted after 3V. Anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody (mAb) containing therapy as the most recent treatment from 2V had the greatest impact on humoral response. Exposure to anti-CD20 mAb based regimens or as monotherapy revealed low antibody responses (n = 84; seropositivity 22.6%; median titer < 0.8 U/mL; Q1-Q3 [ < 0.8- < 0.8]). On analysis of indolent B-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas whereby antiCD-20 mAb are often incorporated, treatment proximity to 2V impacted responses: < 3 months (n = 33; 22%; < 0.8 U/mL; [ < 0.8- < 0.8]) vs. 12-24 months (n = 4; 60%; 228 U/mL; [ < 0.8-232]). In contrast, tyrosine kinase inhibitor (n = 38; 100%; 858 U/mL; [221- > 2499]), proteosome inhibitor monotherapy (n = 4;100%; median titer 1520 U/mL; [462- > 2499]) were among the subgroups with the highest numerical responses, however, the addition of corticosteroids impacted vaccine response as seen in proteosome inhibitor with corticosteroids (n = 7; 85.7%; 6.6 U/mL; [1.8-115.2]). Conclusions: The humoral response from our single institution cohort identifies diminished responses depending on treatment status and the type of treatment including the proximity of treatment exposure to receipt of vaccination. Furthermore, vaccine boosters can induce antibody responses in patients who were previously seronegative.

Background and Objectives Platelet (PLT) transfusions must be used appropriately, as they are in chronic short supply, costly and risky to patients. The goals of this audit were to: (1) validate preset adjudication criteria through an audit of appropriateness at four large academic hospitals; (2) identify variability in appropriateness across medical services, physician specialties or hospital locations; and (3) inform logistical or educational interventions that may reduce inappropriate use. Materials and Methods A chart review of two hundred patients receiving PLT transfusions was performed. Fifty consecutive transfusion episodes per site were audited in detail. Each transfusion episode was independently adjudicated as appropriate or inappropriate by two transfusion specialists based on predetermined criteria. Results The adjudication criteria performed well with simple agreement of 95% (kappa statistic 0·83) between reviewers. Overall, 78% (95% CI: 72–84%) of PLT transfusions were adjudicated as appropriate, with results varying significantly by hospital site (range 62–94%). Prophylactic transfusions for non-bleeding patients had the highest proportion of appropriateness (85%, n = 80), and therapeutic transfusions for bleeding patients had the lowest (73%, n = 99). The lowest levels of appropriate platelet transfusions were observed in the operating rooms (60%) and when ordered by the general surgery service (55%). Conclusions One in five platelet transfusions may be unnecessary, suggesting that interventions to improve PLT transfusion practice are warranted.

ObjectivesThree are no clinical practice guidelines that specifically address the management of patients with iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in the emergency department (ED). The goal of this study was to describe the characteristics of IDA patients who present to the ED, documentation of IDA by emergency physicians, utilization of iron supplementation, and the appropriateness of red blood cell (RBC) transfusions ordered in the ED.MethodsA retrospective medical chart review was performed of IDA patients who visited the ED of a large tertiary center over a three-month period. Appropriateness of RBC transfusion was determined using a novel algorithm developed by our institution.ResultsOver the study period, there was a 0.3% (49/14,394) prevalence of IDA in the ED. In thirty (30/49; 61%) patients, IDA was documented by an emergency physician. RBC transfusions were administered to 19 patients; 10 transfusions (53%) were appropriate, 3 (16%) were appropriate for indication, but more than the required number of units were ordered, and 6 (32%) were inappropriate. Of the patients discharged, one (1/25; 4%) patient received intravenous iron in the ED and 6 of the 11 patients (55%) that were not already taking oral iron received a prescription at discharge from the ED.ConclusionsThis assessment demonstrated that management of IDA patients presenting to the ED may represent an important knowledge-to-practice gap. It revealed that RBC transfusion may be over-utilized and could be replaced by safer, lower-cost alternatives such as intravenous and oral iron. Guidelines for management of IDA in the ED may be necessary to achieve consistent IDA management and avoid inappropriate use of RBC transfusion.

BACKGROUND Evaluating the appropriateness of red blood cell (RBC) transfusion requires labor-intensive medical chart audits and expert adjudication. We sought to determine the appropriateness of RBC transfusions at 10 hospitals using retrospective chart review and to determine whether simple metrics (proportion of single-unit transfusions, RBCs/100 acute inpatient days, proportion of transfusions with pretransfusion hemoglobin

BACKGROUND Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is used to treat a variety of diseases in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Although audits have reported on the spectrum of IVIG use in adults, the indications and utilization in neonates has not been investigated. The objectives of this study were to describe the usage pattern of and indications for IVIG in a tertiary care NICU. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS A retrospective chart review was performed of all neonates who received IVIG in the NICU from January 2003 to December 2013. Data collected included patient demographic features, antenatal maternal details, neonatal laboratory results, treatment details, adverse events, and patient outcome. RESULTS Thirty-seven neonates received IVIG over the 11-year period. Twenty-three (67%) were treated for hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN); 13 treatments were ABO related, six were anti-D related, and four were for clinically significant antibodies. Fourteen (33%) were treated for non-HDN causes, including eight for septic neonates, two for neonates with necrotizing enterocolitis, two for neonates with a clinically significant antibody but without evidence of hemolysis, and two for neonates with glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency. A complete hemolytic workup was not performed consistently before the receipt of IVIG. CONCLUSIONS This novel assessment of IVIG use in the NICU revealed the spectrum of disease for which IVIG is ordered. This study also found that key diagnostic tests needed to confirm an immune etiology for idiopathic jaundice are not performed routinely before IVIG receipt. Neonatal transfusion-related databases are needed to carry out pragmatic clinical trials to establish better evidence-based guidelines for IVIG therapy in the NICU.

SUMMARYObjectives and background There are few studies of quality interventions to mitigate the risk of transfusion-associated circulatory overload (TACO). Our aim was to reduce TACO risk in patients admitted to internal medicine at our hospital, by addressing gaps in transfusion practice. Materials and methods A 3-month baseline audit of red blood cell (RBC) transfusion orders was conducted. An intervention consisting of a transfusion order set and physician checklist was developed and implemented based on identified gaps, followed by a 3-month post-intervention audit. Compliance with appropriateness criteria for RBC transfusion was ascertained, along with documentation of transfusion rate, diuretic usage and consent. Results A total of 97 transfusion orders from 68 inpatients and 95 orders from 62 inpatients were audited in the baseline and post-intervention groups, respectively. Compliance with appropriateness criteria was similar pre- and post-intervention (87 versus 85%, P = 0·81). Specification of transfusion rate improved (84 versus 98%, P < 0·01), and diuretics were appropriately ordered more frequently for patients with TACO risk factors (37 versus 64%, P < 0·01). Timing of diuretics shifted from between or post-transfusion to pre-transfusion (35 versus 86%, P < 0·01), without increases in hypokalemia or acute kidney injury. No case of TACO was observed during the study. Documentation of specific risks discussed during consent discussion improved (4 versus 23%, P < 0·01). Conclusion A checklist and order set are tools that can improve the quality of transfusion orders by increasing the judicious use of pre-transfusion diuretics and augmenting the specification of transfusion rate. These interventions could be adapted to electronic order formats to improve transfusion safety.

The objective of this study was to review the incidence of skin allograft discard and bacterial contamination due to donor bioburden at the Ontario Professional Firefighters Skin Bank over a 14-year period. We sought to determine whether modifications to our prerecovery donor preparation process have been effective in reducing skin bioburden and identify other potential risk factors of allograft contamination. A retrospective review of all skin donors (n = 259) processed from 2002 to 2015 was performed. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine whether donor-related factors and procurement-related factors were significantly associated with microbial contamination predisinfection and discard secondary to contamination. Eighty-one donor recoveries were discarded (81/259; 31%) or 694 grafts (694/2636; 26%), with bacterial contamination being the most common reason for discard (29/81; 36%) followed by positive viral serology (21/81; 26%) primarily for hepatitis B core antibodies. Bacterial contamination predisinfection was detected in 46% of donors (49% of grafts). Analysis of risk factors showed that only donor preparation using a 70% alcohol spray significantly reduced odds of both bacterial contamination predisinfection (P < .0001) and discard secondary to bacterial contamination (P = .0233). Our results suggest that selective screening of donors to reduce risk of microbial contamination is unlikely to alter the rate of allograft contamination. However, use of a 70% alcohol spray during donor preparation may minimize bacterial contamination and subsequent bacterial-related discards. Given that detailed guidelines for donor preparation do not exist, use of an alcohol spray may be of value for tissue banks experiencing allograft loss due to bacterial contamination.

Evaluating the appropriateness of red blood cell (RBC) transfusion requires labor-intensive medical chart audits and expert adjudication. We sought to determine the appropriateness of RBC transfusions at 10 hospitals using retrospective chart review and to determine whether simple metrics (proportion of single-unit transfusions, RBCs/100 acute inpatient days, proportion of transfusions with pretransfusion hemoglobin80 g/L or posttransfusion hemoglobin90 g/L) could be used as surrogate markers of appropriateness by comparing their values with the results from the audit.An initial block of 30 RBC units was dually adjudicated for appropriateness followed by additional blocks of 10 units until the difference between the cumulative percentage of appropriate RBC units in the preceding block and final block was3%. Pearson correlation tests were used to evaluate associations between the metrics and percentages of appropriate transfusions per hospital. Two-by-two tables were used to assess the utility of the metrics to classify transfusions for appropriateness.Of the 498 units audited, 78% were adjudicated as appropriate (κ = 0.9603), with significant variability between institutions (p 0.0001). Fifty audits or less were required at nine of the institutions. The values of the metrics were not found to have significant correlations with appropriateness, and the metric that misclassified the smallest proportion of transfusions for appropriateness was pretransfusion hemoglobin80 g/L, at 24%.Our findings suggest that a chart audit of 50 RBC transfusions with adjudication using robust criteria is the optimal means of evaluating RBC transfusion appropriateness at an institution for benchmarking and quality-improvement initiatives.

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is used to treat a variety of diseases in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Although audits have reported on the spectrum of IVIG use in adults, the indications and utilization in neonates has not been investigated. The objectives of this study were to describe the usage pattern of and indications for IVIG in a tertiary care NICU.A retrospective chart review was performed of all neonates who received IVIG in the NICU from January 2003 to December 2013. Data collected included patient demographic features, antenatal maternal details, neonatal laboratory results, treatment details, adverse events, and patient outcome.Thirty-seven neonates received IVIG over the 11-year period. Twenty-three (67%) were treated for hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN); 13 treatments were ABO related, six were anti-D related, and four were for clinically significant antibodies. Fourteen (33%) were treated for non-HDN causes, including eight for septic neonates, two for neonates with necrotizing enterocolitis, two for neonates with a clinically significant antibody but without evidence of hemolysis, and two for neonates with glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency. A complete hemolytic workup was not performed consistently before the receipt of IVIG.This novel assessment of IVIG use in the NICU revealed the spectrum of disease for which IVIG is ordered. This study also found that key diagnostic tests needed to confirm an immune etiology for idiopathic jaundice are not performed routinely before IVIG receipt. Neonatal transfusion-related databases are needed to carry out pragmatic clinical trials to establish better evidence-based guidelines for IVIG therapy in the NICU.

Background: Recent guidelines, including ASH Choosing Wisely®, recommend the use of restrictive red blood cell (RBC) transfusion strategies. Our aim was to identify gaps in transfusion ordering practices among trainees and staff physicians on the internal medicine inpatient service, by performing an audit to determine compliance with hospital guidelines. This baseline study was then used to develop and implement preprinted orders and a transfusion checklist as an intervention to improve the quality of transfusion practice. Methods: We performed a single-center retrospective audit of all RBC transfusions ordered by trainees and staff physicians for patients admitted to general internal medicine over a 3-month period (June to August 2013). Compliance with institutional guidelines for transfusion indication and dose were ascertained. Secondary measures included documentation of informed consent, ordering of diuretics, and incidence of transfusion-related adverse events. These results guided the development of a checklist, which was implemented alongside evidence-based preprinted order sets in November 2013. The checklist specifically highlighted discussion of life-threatening transfusion risks, documentation of the informed consent process, and indications for pre-transfusion diuretics to prevent transfusion associated circulatory overload. The audit was repeated over a 3-month post-intervention period (November 2013 to January 2014) to assess for improvement. Comparison between the pre- and post-intervention groups was made using the chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test for categorical variables. Results: 90 transfusion orders in 63 patients were audited in the pre-intervention group, compared with 50 transfusion orders in 31 patients post-intervention; total inpatient days declined by 11.5% over the same period. 98.6% of transfusions were ordered by trainees and 1.4% by attending physicians. Baseline compliance for both indication and dose did not change (84.4% pre-intervention vs. 82.0% post-intervention, p = NS), and pre-transfusion hemoglobin was unchanged (69.0 g/L vs. 69.5 g/L). The frequency at which transfusion rate was specified increased after order sets were implemented (83.3% vs. 98.0%, p = 0.01). While the completion of consent forms was unchanged (98.4% vs. 100.0%, p = NS), explicit documentation of a risks and benefits discussion increased significantly (33.3% vs. 61.3%, p = 0.02). The frequency of appropriate diuretic administration increased (36.7% vs. 70.0%, p = 0.01) without increase in acute kidney injury or significant hypokalemia, and the proportion of diuretics ordered pre-transfusion increased (36.4% vs. 90.5%, p < 0.01). No adverse transfusion-related events occurred in either group. Conclusions: In this single-center study, there was good baseline compliance with transfusion guidelines within general internal medicine at our academic center. The development and implementation of preprinted orders and a checklist, based on gaps identified in the documentation of consent and the ordering of diuretics, significantly improved practices in these domains. These data suggest that preprinted orders and targeted checklists may be simple interventions that can be implemented to improve the quality of transfusion practice. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.