Implications of Pre-Transplant (tx) COVID-19 on SOT or HCT: A Multicenter Study

Purpose: Describe outcomes of patients (pt) with pre-tx COVID-19. Method(s): Multicenter study of SOT/HCT candidates who had a positive (pos) SARS-CoV-2 PCR pre-tx. Result(s): Pre-tx: Of 208 pt, median age was 56 (range 3-76). 87.8% were SOT candidates (40.5% kidney, 40.5% liver, 9.8% lung, 6.9% heart, 2.3% pancreas) and 13.9% were HCT candidates (54.2% allo, 45.8% auto). Pt underwent a median of 2 tests (range 1 - 14). In 41% of pt, > 1 neg PCR was required by the tx center before reactivation. Neg PCR was documented in 67.4% of pt at a median of 41 days (18-68) after pos PCR. Waitlist mortality was 11.0%;deaths were due to COVID-19 in 60% (12/20). Post-tx (all pt): 78 pt underwent tx at a median of 65.5 days (range 17-324) from COVID-19;71/78 have completed 4-weeks of follow-up. 24/78 (30.7%) pt were still PCR pos at time of tx (details below). 54/78 (69.2%) pt underwent routine PCR testing post-tx;62% were tested regularly for 8 weeks. Only 1 pt, who remained asymptomatic, developed recurrent pos PCR on surveillance testing 18 days post-tx. 1 pt had graft loss. There were no deaths at 4 weeks post-tx. Pt transplanted without a negative PCR: 24 pt with COVID-19 did not have neg PCR at time of tx: 9 (37.5%) kidney, 9 (37.5%) liver, 2 (8.3%) SLK, 1 (4.2%) lung, 1 heart (4.2%), 2 auto-HSCT (8.3%), 2 allo-HSCT (8.3%). Of 24 pt who were reactivated at a median of 21 days (range 8 - 38) from COVID-19 diagnosis, 7 underwent tx emergently (5 liver, 1 lung, 1 heart). 20/24 completed 4-weeks of follow-up;all were alive. PCR Cycle thresholds (Ct) increased over time, suggesting a reduction in SARS-CoV-2 viral loads with time elapsed since COVID-19 diagnosis. Conclusion(s): Short-term outcomes of transplantation in SOT/HCT candidates with prior COVID-19 were promising in this small cohort, even with a positive PCR going into transplant. Whether documentation of a negative PCR should be required for all tx candidates with a history of COVID-19 prior to transplantation should be investigated further, particularly among lung tx candidates. For certain tx candidates with COVID-19, relying time-based strategy instead of a test-based strategy may be safe.

Early Clinical Experience with ALVR109, a Partially HLA-Matched SARS-CoV-2 Specific T-Cell Therapy, in Immunocompromised Patients with COVID-19

Purpose: Therapies for COVID-19 in immunocompromised (IC) patients (pts), including transplant (tx) pts, are limited. We describe our experience with ALVR109, an allogeneic, partially HLA-matched T-cell product, given through emergency investigational new drug (eIND) application to 4 consecutive IC pts with protracted COVID-19. Method(s): To measure SARS-CoV-2 viral loads, SARS-2 RNA was quantified by RT-PCR (N gene) in plasma and saliva. ALVR109 was manufactured for Allovir at Baylor College of Medicine. Result(s): Between May and October 2021, ALVR109 was given to 4 IC pts with COVID-19 (details in Table 1). 2 pts had lymphoma (1 post auto-tx) and 2 had lung tx. All pts had SARS-CoV-2 RNA detected in plasma (viremia) in the weeks leading up to ALVR109 administration. Infusions (20-40 million cells (MC) per dose) were well-tolerated with no adverse events. Prior to ALVR109, pts 1 and 3 had progressive COVID-19 and ongoing SARS-CoV-2 viremia despite monoclonal antibodies (mABs) and remdesivir. Following ALVR109 administration both patients had a decrease in viremia with marked clinical improvement in pt 1, but both eventually died from their underlying disease. Viral loads (plasma/saliva) and functional scores for pt 1 are shown in the figure. Autopsy of pt 3 showed no evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection by lung in-situ hybridization (ISH). Pts 2 and 4 received ALVR109 as adjunctive therapy to mABs and remdesivir;viremia continued to decline following ALVR109 and both pts survived and were discharged home. Conclusion(s): This initial experience suggests a potential role of ALVR109 in the treatment of IC and tx pts with COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cells appear to be safe and may control viremia in IC pts. Larger studies are needed to confirm this observation, define the best candidates for ALVR109, and determine optimal timing of administration. (Table Presented).

Bilateral facial palsy with paresthesias, variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome following COVID-19 vaccine: A case series of 9 patients.

Several cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) associated with COVID-19 vaccination have been reported, including the rare subtype known as Bilateral Facial Palsy with paresthesias (BFP). To date, it is not known whether a causal relationship may exist between the two. We report 9 cases of BFP in patients vaccinated against COVID-19 in the previous month. Nerve conduction studies revealed demyelinating polyneuropathy in 4 patients, and 5 presented bilateral, focal facial nerve involvement, exclusively. Ganglioside antibody panel was positive in 4 patients (anti-GM1=2, anti-GD1a=1 and anti-sulfatide=1). Seven patients received intravenous immunoglobulin treatment, one plasma exchange, and one patient died from sudden cardiac arrest following arrhythmia before treatment could be administered. Rates of BFP following COVID-19 vaccination, did not differ from those reported in previous series. Epidemiological studies are essential to determine whether a causal relationship may exist between this rare form of GBS and COVID-19 vaccination.

Reflections on Exploratory Practice and the Affective Mind: The Exploratory Meeting as a Niche to the Construction of Affective Scaffolding in Pandemic Times

Exploratory Practice (EP), (ALLWRIGHT, 1991, 2006, 2008) is a teaching-learning and research approach, which encourages practitioners to generate understandings on issues related to quality of life that puzzle them in their personal and professional settings. Considering the impact of the Covid19 in our quality of life as practitioners, we analyze the interaction generated during one meeting of regular members of two groups of exploratory practitioners that occurred on May 27, 2020, on the virtual platform Zoom. Therefore, these Communities of Exploratory Practice interact in meetings as affective niches (STERELNY, 2010), following EP's principle related to understanding life in the language classroom. Thus, this study focuses on the way the community members expressed their feelings as well as how and through what strategies support and affective scaffoldings were provided through discourse. © 2022, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Faculdade de Letras. All rights reserved.

Secondary Infections in Patients Requiring Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) for Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) due to COVID-19 Pneumonia (PNA)

Background. Rescue ECMO has been used worldwide in patients (pts) with ARDS caused by COVID-19. Bacterial super-infections affect 3.5-14.3% of hospitalized pts with COVID-19. Pts requiring ECMO may be at an increased risk of infection due to their severity of illness, gut translocation and ECMO impact on host immunity. Methods. This was a retrospective review of pts requiring ECMO for COVID-19 from April 2020-2021 at a single center. Strict definitions of infections (including ventilator-associated PNA, VAP) were in accordance with CDC criteria. Results. 43 ECMO pts with 1065 ECMO days were evaluated. Median age was 53 yrs (range: 21-62) and median BMI was 36.2 (range: 19.4-75.8). 70% were men and 65% were white. 37 patients (86%) experienced a total of 40 infectious episodes with a median onset from ECMO cannulation to first infection of 10.5d (range: 4-50). Median SOFA and SAPSII scores at time of infection were 12 (6-20) and 63 (30-90), respectively. PNA was the most common infection (78%, with 19% of cases complicated by bacteremia and 3% by empyema) (Fig. 1). The most common organisms isolated were Enterobacterales (37%), S. aureus (25%) and P. aeruginosa (16%) (Fig. 2). Only 2% of all organisms were multi-drug resistant. 3 pts had fungal infections (1 candidemia, 2 aspergillus PNA). Duration of ECMO was significantly longer for infected pts (26d, range: 5-92d) vs (11d, range: 3-24d), p=.01. 95% of infected pts had received steroids vs. 67% of uninfected pts, p=0.09. Treatment success at 1 week was 50%, and 24% and 40% of pts had recurrent infections and persistent/recurrent organisms in clinical cultures, respectively. S. aureus (54%) and Enterobacterales (26%) were associated with persistent or recurrent clinical cultures, requiring prolonged antimicrobial therapy. Mortality rate at 30 days was 65% and was significantly higher for pts with infection than those without (67% vs 33%, p=.02). Conclusion. Super-infection (most commonly PNA) occurred in almost all COVID-19 pts requiring ECMO for >4 days, and was a significant risk factor for death. Recurrent infections among survivors were common, especially when caused by Enterbacterales or S. aureus. Super-infection and mortality rates of ARDS pts on ECMO for COVID-19 were worse than for ARDS pts on ECMO for influenza at our center.