Improving clinical trial recruitment with warm transfers.

During recruitment for a large, decentralized clinical trial for high-risk individuals with COVID-19, respondents were either transferred in real-time to a clinical research coordinator (i.e. warm transfer), or a callback time was arranged. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 2341 respondents comparing the rate of enrollment among those who were warm-transferred and those for whom a callback was arranged. A respondent who warm-transferred was significantly more likely to enroll in the clinical trial.

Society of Dermatology Hospitalists supportive care guidelines for the management of Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis in adults.

Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are life-threatening conditions with high morbidity and mortality. Supportive care management of SJS/TEN is highly variable. A systematic review of the literature was performed by dermatologists, ophthalmologists, intensivists, and gynecologists with expertise in SJS/TEN to generate statements for supportive care guideline development. Members of the Society of Dermatology Hospitalists with expertise in SJS/TEN were invited to participate in a modified, online Delphi-consensus. Participants were administered 9-point Likert scale questionnaires regarding 135 statements. The RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method was used to evaluate and select proposed statements for guideline inclusion; statements with median ratings of 6.5 to 9 and a disagreement index of ≤1 were included in the guideline. For the final round, the guidelines were appraised by all of the participants. Included are an evidence-based discussion and recommendations for hospital setting and care team, wound care, ocular care, oral care, urogenital care, pain management, infection surveillance, fluid and electrolyte management, nutrition and stress ulcer prophylaxis, airway management, and anticoagulation in adult patients with SJS/TEN.

Development and Validation of a Risk Prediction Model for In-Hospital Mortality Among Patients With Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis-ABCD-10.

Importance: Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN) is a spectrum of severe mucocutaneous drug reaction associated with significant morbidity and mortality. A previously developed SJS/TEN-specific severity-of-illness model (Score of Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis [SCORTEN]) has been reported to overestimate and underestimate SJS/TEN-related in-hospital mortality in various populations. Objective: To derive a risk prediction model for in-hospital mortality among patients with SJS/TEN and to compare prognostic accuracy with the SCORTEN model in a multi-institutional cohort of patients in the United States. Design, Setting, and Participants: Data from a multicenter cohort of patients 18 years and older treated for SJS/TEN between January 1, 2000, and June 1, 2015, were obtained from inpatient consult databases and electronic medical record systems at 18 medical centers in the United States as part of the Society for Dermatology Hospitalists. A risk model was derived based on data from 370 of these patients. Model discrimination (calculated as area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC]) and calibration (calculated as predicted vs observed mortality, and examined using the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit statistic) were assessed, and the predictive accuracy was compared with that of SCORTEN. All analysis took place between December 2016 and April 2018. Main Outcomes and Measures: In-hospital mortality. Results: Among 370 patients (mean [SD] age 49.0 [19.1] years; 195 [52.7%] women), 54 (15.14%) did not survive to hospital discharge. Five covariates, measured at the time of admission, were independent predictors of in-hospital mortality: age in years (odds ratio [OR], 1.05; 95% CI, 1.02-1.07), body surface area (BSA) in percentage of epidermal detachment (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.04), serum bicarbonate level below 20 mmol/L (OR, 2.90; 95% CI, 1.43-5.88), active cancer (OR, 4.40; 95% CI, 1.82-10.61), and dialysis prior to admission (OR, 15.94; 95% CI, 3.38-66.30). A severity-of-illness score was calculated by taking the sum of 1 point each for age 50 years or older, epidermal detachment greater than 10% of BSA, and serum bicarbonate level below 20 mmol/L; 2 points for the presence of active cancer; and 3 points for dialysis prior to admission. The score was named ABCD-10 (age, bicarbonate, cancer, dialysis, 10% BSA). The ABCD-10 model showed good discrimination (AUC, 0.816; 95% CI, 0.759-0.872) and calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit test, P = .30). For SCORTEN, on admission, the AUC was 0.827 (95% CI, 0.774-0.879) and was not significantly different from that of the ABCD-10 model (P = .72). Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort of patients with SJS/TEN, ABCD-10 accurately predicted in-hospital mortality, with discrimination that was not significantly different from SCORTEN. Additional research is needed to validate ABCD-10 in other populations. Future use of a new mortality prediction model may provide improved prognostic information for contemporary patients, including those enrolled in observational studies and therapeutic trials.

Ruxolitinib as Salvage Therapy for Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease.

Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) continues to be a major complication after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, significantly affecting patients' quality of life. A regimen of systemic corticosteroids is considered first-line therapy but is often associated with inadequate responses and multiple side effects. In patients with refractory disease, an evidenced-based consensus is lacking as to the single best approach to managing symptoms. Ruxolitinib, a selective JAK1/2 inhibitor, has recently gained favor as a second-line approach in patients with steroid-refractory cGVHD. In this retrospective study, we evaluated the outcomes of 46 patients who received ruxolitinib for cGVHD between March 2016 and December 2017 at our institution, and evaluated ruxolitinib's impact at 6 and 12 months, based on the National Institutes of Health Severity Scale, including organ-specific responses, and mean prednisone dose. Furthermore, we present the first reported probability of ruxolitinib's treatment failure-free survival (FFS) in patients with cGVHD. After 12 months of ruxolitinib therapy, complete response, partial response, and stable disease was observed in 13% (n = 6), 30.4% (n = 14), and 10.9% (n = 5) of patients, respectively. The 1-year probability of FFS was 54.2% (95% confidence interval, .388 to .673), and ruxolitinib use was associated with a reduction in prednisone dose. In conclusion, our data, which represent the largest cohort of patients with cGVHD reported to date, support the use of ruxolitinib for cGVHD refractory to steroids and currently available salvage therapies, discontinued due to lack of response and high cost.

Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: A Multicenter Retrospective Study of 377 Adult Patients from the United States.

Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN) is a rare, severe mucocutaneous reaction with few large cohorts reported. This multicenter retrospective study included patients with SJS/TEN seen by inpatient consultative dermatologists at 18 academic medical centers in the United States. A total of 377 adult patients with SJS/TEN between January 1, 2000 and June 1, 2015 were entered, including 260 of 377 (69%) from 2010 onward. The most frequent cause of SJS/TEN was medication reaction in 338 of 377 (89.7%), most often to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (89/338; 26.3%). Most patients were managed in an intensive care (100/368; 27.2%) or burn unit (151/368; 41.0%). Most received pharmacologic therapy (266/376; 70.7%) versus supportive care alone (110/376; 29.3%)-typically corticosteroids (113/266; 42.5%), intravenous immunoglobulin (94/266; 35.3%), or both therapies (54/266; 20.3%). Based on day 1 SCORTEN predicted mortality, approximately 78 in-hospital deaths were expected (77.7/368; 21%), but the observed mortality of 54 patients (54/368; 14.7%) was significantly lower (standardized mortality ratio = 0.70; 95% confidence interval = 0.58-0.79). Stratified by therapy received, the standardized mortality ratio was lowest among those receiving both steroids and intravenous immunoglobulin (standardized mortality ratio = 0.52; 95% confidence interval 0.21-0.79). This large cohort provides contemporary information regarding US patients with SJS/TEN. Mortality, although substantial, was significantly lower than predicted. Although the precise role of pharmacotherapy remains unclear, co-administration of corticosteroids and intravenous immunoglobulin, among other therapies, may warrant further study.

Interobserver reliability of teledermatology across all Fitzpatrick skin types.

Introduction Demand for dermatologic services in safety net hospitals, which disproportionately serve patients with darker coloured skin, is growing. Teledermatology has the potential to increase access and improve outcomes, but studies have yet to demonstrate the reliability of teledermatology for all Fitzpatrick skin types. Methods We assessed the reliability of teledermatologists' diagnoses and management recommendations for store-and-forward teledermatology in patients with lightly pigmented (Fitzpatrick skin types I-III) versus darkly pigmented (Fitzpatrick skin types IV-VI) skin, when compared to in-person diagnosis and management decisions. This prospective study enrolled 232 adult patients, presenting with new, visible skin complaints in a Los Angeles county dermatology clinic. Forty-seven percent of patients were Fitzpatrick skin types I-III, and 53% were Fitzpatrick skin types IV-VI. Results Percent concordance for the identical primary diagnosis was 53.2% in lighter (Fitzpatrick I-III) skin types and 56.0% in darker (Fitzpatrick IV-VI) skin types. There was no statistically significant difference in concordance rates between lighter and darker skin types for primary diagnosis. Concordance rates for diagnostic testing, clinic-based therapy, and treatments were similar in both groups of Fitzpatrick skin types. Discussion These results suggest that teledermatology is reliable for the diagnosis and management of patients with all Fitzpatrick skin types.

Cutaneous Involvement in a Case of Intravascular T-Cell Lymphoma With a γδ Phenotype.

Intravascular lymphomas (IVL) are uncommon variants of extranodal non-Hodgkin which are usually difficult to diagnose because of their lack of clinical uniformity. Most cases are of B-cell differentiation followed by natural killer/T-cell differentiation and underlying CD30 lymphoproliferative conditions. Epstein-Barr virus is pathogenically related in most of the natural killer/T-cell variants, and the skin is a common site of presentation noted in approximately 40% of cases. Recently, cases with uncommon phenotypes have been described, expanding our understanding of the pathogenesis of this condition. In this report, we describe a 67-year-old man with a 3-month history of constitutional symptoms associated with linear purpuric macules on the trunk, pancytopenia, and high levels of serum lactate dehydrogenase. He had been followed for longstanding adenopathy and hepatosplenomegaly. Skin biopsy demonstrated a intravascular lymphocytic proliferation with positivity for CD3, CD2, CD5, and γδ T-cell receptor marker; in situ hybridization Epstein-Barr virus RNA was negative. The patient was subsequently treated with chemotherapy and allogenic stem cell transplant. He remains in complete remission 6 months posttransplant. Although the presence of hepatosplenomegaly led to consideration of a hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma, it was pre-existing for several years making the diagnosis doubtful. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of an IVL γδ T-cell lymphoma.

Inpatient dermatology consultation aids diagnosis of cellulitis among hospitalized patients: A multi-institutional analysis.

BACKGROUND: Given its nonspecific physical examination findings, accurately distinguishing cellulitis from a cellulitis mimicker (pseudocellulitis) is challenging. OBJECTIVE: We sought to investigate the national incidence of cellulitis misdiagnosis among inpatients. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of inpatient dermatology consultations at Massachusetts General Hospital, University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center, University of California Los Angeles Medical Center, and University of California San Francisco Medical Center in 2008. All consults requested for the evaluation of cellulitis were included. The primary outcomes were determining the incidence of cellulitis misdiagnosis, evaluating the prevalence of associated risk factors, and identifying common pseudocellulitides. RESULTS: Of the 1430 inpatient dermatology consultations conducted in 2008, 74 (5.17%) were requested for the evaluation of cellulitis. In all, 55 (74.32%) patients evaluated for cellulitis were given a diagnosis of pseudocellulitis. There was no statistically significant difference in the rate of misdiagnosis across institutions (P = .12). Patient demographics and associated risk factor prevalence did not statistically vary in patients given a diagnosis of cellulitis versus those with pseudocellulitis (P > .05). LIMITATIONS: This study was unable to evaluate all patients admitted with cellulitis and was conducted at tertiary care centers, which may affect the generalizability of the results. CONCLUSIONS: Cellulitis is commonly misdiagnosed in the inpatient setting. Involving dermatologists may improve diagnostic accuracy and decrease unnecessary antibiotic use.

Risk of anaphylaxis with repeated courses of rasburicase: a Research on Adverse Drug Events and Reports (RADAR) project.

BACKGROUND: Rasburicase, a recombinant urate oxidase, is used to rapidly metabolize uric acid in patients with hyperuricaemia. Rasburicase is an immunogenic therapeutic protein, which has been shown to elicit antibody response in 64 % of healthy volunteers within 1-6 weeks after the initial course, with persistent antibodies for over 1 year. Drug labelling indicates that anaphylaxis rarely occurs (in <1 % of patients) after a single course of therapy with rasburicase, but there are no data available on the incidence of anaphylaxis in patients receiving a subsequent rasburicase course. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the incidence of anaphylaxis after multiple treatment courses of rasburicase. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed on 97 consecutively treated patients who received repeated courses of rasburicase for hyperuricaemia. RESULTS: None of the 97 patients who were reviewed experienced anaphylaxis during the first rasburicase course; however, six patients (6.2 %) experienced anaphylaxis during a subsequent rasburicase treatment course (p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Anaphylaxis after a second course of rasburicase appears to occur more frequently than described in the US Food and Drug Administration-approved package insert for initial treatment courses. Given the serious nature of anaphylactic events, caution is advised when administering repeated courses of rasburicase.

Prospective randomized pilot study of Y90+/-sorafenib as bridge to transplantation in hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: To investigate the safety and adverse event profile of sorafenib plus radioembolization (Y90) compared to Y90 alone in patients awaiting liver transplantation. METHODS: 20 patients with HCC were randomized to Y90 alone (Group A) or Y90+sorafenib (Group B). Adverse events, dose reductions, and peri-transplant complications were assessed. RESULTS: All patients in the sorafenib group necessitated dose reductions. Seventeen of 20 patients underwent liver transplantation; median time-to-transplant was 7.8 months (range: 4.2-20.3) and similar between groups (p = 0.35). In the sorafenib group, there were 4/8 peri-transplant (<30 days) biliary complications (p = 0.029) and 3/8 acute rejections (p = 0.082); there were none in the Y90-only group. Survival rates were 70% (Group A) and 72% (Group B) at 3 years (p = 0.57). CONCLUSIONS: The addition of sorafenib to Y90 necessitated dose reductions in all patients awaiting transplantation. Preliminary data suggest that the combination was associated with more peri-transplant biliary complications and potentially trended towards more acute rejections. Caution should be exercised when considering sorafenib in the transplant setting. Further investigation is warranted.

Demodex folliculitis mimicking acute graft-vs-host disease.

IMPORTANCE: Acute graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) typically requires high-dose systemic steroids as first-line treatment. Like drug eruptions, viral exanthema, and toxic erythema of chemotherapy, Demodex folliculitis is a clinical mimicker of acute GVHD and requires nonimmunosuppressive therapy. This case of Demodex folliculitis mimicking acute GVHD highlights the need for skin biopsy in patients who have undergone a stem cell transplant with eruptions on the head and neck. OBSERVATIONS: A 46-year-old white woman with a history of Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 acute myeloid leukemia presented to the dermatology clinic with a 5-day history of a nonpruritic eruption on her face and neck 28 days after undergoing a double umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Findings from the skin biopsy demonstrated a deep dermal lymphocytic infiltrate adjacent to follicular units along with an abundance of Demodex mites noted within the hair follicles consistent with Demodex folliculitis. Oral ivermectin, 12 mg, was given, and the eruption cleared within 24 hours. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: To our knowledge, this is only the fifth reported case of Demodex folliculitis following HSCT, but the first ever reported to be successfully treated with oral ivermectin. Demodex folliculitis should be added to the differential diagnosis of skin eruptions that arise after HSCT.