Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Induced Psoriasis: Diagnosis, Management, and a Review of Cases.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are effective antitumor agents but are associated with immune-related adverse events. ICI-induced psoriasis commonly presents in patients with a history of psoriasis but may occur de novo, and it has a significant physical and psychosocial impact. ICI-induced and non-ICI-induced psoriasis are likely mediated by similar cytokines, and similar treatments are employed. Topical treatment often suffices, and when needed, several systemic treatments appear to be effective without impacting antitumor response. Development of psoriasis may indicate a superior response to ICIs. Thus, recognition and management of ICI-induced psoriasis is essential to avoid ICI interruption and maximize therapeutic potential.

The Impact of Dermatologic Adverse Events on the Quality of Life of Oncology Patients: A Review of the Literature.

Dermatologic adverse events resulting from oncologic therapy are common and negatively impact patients' quality of life. Dermatologic adverse events include toxicity of the skin, oral mucosa, nails, and hair and are seen with cytotoxic chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and radiation therapy, with distinct patterns of dermatologic adverse events by drug class. Here, we review the literature on the impact of dermatologic adverse events on quality of life. Studies on quality of life in patients with cancer have relied on scales such as the Dermatologic Life Quality Index and Skindex to demonstrate the association between dermatologic adverse events and declining quality of life. This relationship is likely due to a variety of factors, including physical discomfort, changes to body image, decreased self-esteem, and an effect on social interactions. Addressing such quality-of-life concerns for patients with cancer is critical, not only for patients' well-being but also because decreased satisfaction with treatment can lead to discontinuation of treatment or dose reduction. Prophylactic treatment and early management of dermatologic adverse events by experienced dermatologists can alleviate the negative effects on quality of life and allow continuation of life-prolonging treatment.

A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial of a Goals-of-Care Decision Aid for Surrogates of Severe Acute Brain Injury Patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Breakdowns in clinician-family communication in neurologic intensive care units (neuroICUs) are common, particularly for goals-of-care decisions to continue or withdraw life-sustaining treatments while considering long-term prognoses. Shared decision-making interventions (decision aids [DAs]) may prevent this problem and increase patient-centered care, yet none are currently available. We assessed the feasibility, acceptability, and perceived usefulness of a DA for goals-of-care communication with surrogate decision-makers for critically ill severe acute brain injury (SABI) patients after hemispheric acute ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, or traumatic brain injury. METHODS: We conducted a parallel-arm, unblinded, patient-level randomized, controlled pilot trial at two tertiary-care U.S. neuroICUs and randomized surrogate participants 1:1 to a tailored paper-based DA provided to surrogates prior to clinician-family goals-of-care meetings or usual care (no intervention prior to clinician-family meetings). The primary outcomes were feasibility of deploying the DA (recruitment, participation, retention), acceptability, and perceived usefulness of the DA among surrogates. Exploratory outcomes included outcome of surrogate goals-of-care decision, code-status changes during admission, patients' 3-month functional outcome, and surrogates' 3-month validated psychological outcomes. RESULTS: We approached 83 surrogates of 58 patients and enrolled 66 surrogates of 41 patients (80% consent rate). Of 66 surrogates, 45 remained in the study at 3 months (68% retention). Of the 33 surrogates randomized to intervention, 27 were able to receive the DA, and 25 subsequently read the DA (93% participation). 82% rated the DA's acceptability as good or excellent (median Acceptability score 2 [IQR 2;3]); 96% found it useful for goals-of-care decision-making. In the DA group, there was a trend towards fewer comfort-care decisions (27% vs. 56%, p=0.1) and fewer code-status changes (no change, 73% vs. 44%, p=0.02). At 3 months, fewer patients in the DA group had died (33% vs. 69%, p=0.05; median GOS 3 vs.1, p=0.05). Regardless of intervention, 3-month psychological outcomes were significantly worse among surrogates who had chosen continuation-of-care. DISCUSSION: A goals-of-care DA to support ICU shared decision-making for patients with SABI is feasible to deploy and well-perceived by surrogates. A larger trial is feasible to conduct, although surrogates who select continuation-of-care deserve additional psychosocial support. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT03833375 CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class IV evidence that the use of a DA explaining the goals-of-care decision and the treatment options is acceptable and useful to surrogates of incapacitated critically ill patients with ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, or traumatic brain injury.

Powassan Meningoencephalitis: A Case Report Highlighting Diagnosis and Management.

Powassan virus (POWV), a rare flavivirus that may be transmitted by a tick bite, causes rare but severe cases of encephalitis, meningitis, and meningoencephalitis in humans. We present the case of a 62-year-old man with prior Lyme disease and reactive arthritis who presented to the hospital with symptoms of fever, headache, and fatigue. The patient developed rapid deterioration of mental status including profound expressive aphasia and required intubation and high-dose steroids. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) serologies were found to be positive for the POWV.

Adapting a Traumatic Brain Injury Goals-of-Care Decision Aid for Critically Ill Patients to Intracerebral Hemorrhage and Hemispheric Acute Ischemic Stroke.

OBJECTIVES: Families in the neurologic ICU urgently request goals-of-care decision support and shared decision-making tools. We recently developed a goals-of-care decision aid for surrogates of critically ill traumatic brain injury patients using a systematic development process adherent to the International Patient Decision Aid Standards. To widen its applicability, we adapted this decision aid to critically ill patients with intracerebral hemorrhage and large hemispheric acute ischemic stroke. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: Two academic neurologic ICUs. SUBJECTS: Twenty family members of patients in the neurologic ICU were recruited from July 2018 to October 2018. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We reviewed the existing critically ill traumatic brain injury patients decision aid for content and changed: 1) the essential background information, 2) disease-specific terminology to "hemorrhagic stroke" and "ischemic stroke", and 3) disease-specific prognosis tailored to individual patients. We conducted acceptability and usability testing using validated scales. All three decision aids contain information from validated, disease-specific outcome prediction models, as recommended by international decision aid standards, including careful emphasis on their uncertainty. We replaced the individualizable icon arrays graphically depicting probabilities of a traumatic brain injury patient's prognosis with icon arrays visualizing intracerebral hemorrhage and hemispheric acute ischemic stroke prognostic probabilities using high-quality disease-specific data. We selected the Intracerebral Hemorrhage Score with validated 12-month outcomes, and for hemispheric acute ischemic stroke, the 12-month outcomes from landmark hemicraniectomy trials. Twenty family members participated in acceptability and usability testing (n = 11 for the intracerebral hemorrhage decision aid; n = 9 for the acute ischemic stroke decision aid). Median usage time was 22 minutes (interquartile range, 16-26 min). Usability was excellent (median System Usability Scale = 84/100 [interquartile range, 61-93; with > 68 indicating good usability]); 89% of participants graded the decision aid content as good or excellent, and greater than or equal to 90% rated it favorably for information amount, balance, and comprehensibility. CONCLUSIONS: We successfully adapted goals-of-care decision aids for use in surrogates of critically ill patients with intracerebral hemorrhage and hemispheric acute ischemic stroke and found excellent usability and acceptability. A feasibility trial using these decision aids is currently ongoing to further validate their acceptability and test their feasibility for use in busy neurologic ICUs.

Goals-of-care decision aid for critically ill patients with TBI: Development and feasibility testing.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and demonstrate early feasibility of a goals-of-care decision aid for surrogates of patients who are critically ill with traumatic brain injury (ciTBI) that meets accepted international decision aid guidelines. METHODS: We developed the decision aid in 4 stages: (1) qualitative study of goals-of-care communication and decision needs of 36 stakeholders of ciTBI (surrogates and physicians), which informed (2) development of paper-based decision aid with iterative revisions after feedback from 52 stakeholders; (3) acceptability and usability testing in 18 neurologic intensive care unit (neuroICU) family members recruited from 2 neuroICU waiting rooms using validated scales; and (4) open-label, randomized controlled feasibility trial in surrogates of ciTBI. We performed an interim analysis of 16 surrogates of 12 consecutive patients who are ciTBI to confirm early feasibility of the study protocol and report recruitment, participation, and retention rates to date. RESULTS: The resultant goals-of-care decision aid achieved excellent usability (median System Usability Scale 87.5 [possible range 0-100]) and acceptability (97% graded the tool's content as "good" or "excellent"). Early feasibility of the decision aid and the feasibility trial protocol was demonstrated by high rates of recruitment (73% consented), participation (100%), and retention (100% both after the goals-of-care clinician-family meeting and at 3 months) and complete data for the measurements of all secondary decision-related and behavioral outcomes to date. CONCLUSIONS: Our systematic development process resulted in a novel goals-of-care decision aid for surrogates of patients who are ciTBI with excellent usability, acceptability, and early feasibility in the neuroICU environment, and meets international decision aid standards. This methodology may be a development model for other decision aids in neurology to promote shared decision-making.