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BACKGROUND Lupus anticoagulant-hypoprothrombinemia syndrome (LAHPS) is an exceptionally rare disease caused by prothrombin antibodies, resulting in reduced factor II levels. This disease can present with significant bleeding and is usually associated with autoimmune disorders, particularly systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). There are currently no guidelines for the treatment of LAHPS, and corticosteroids remain the criterion standard therapy. Pseudotumor cerebri is a disease that involves an idiopathic rise in intracranial pressure in association with papilledema. The coexistence of pseudotumor cerebri with SLE is rare, with an overall incidence of 0.7%. CASE REPORT A 16-year-old male initially presented to our hospital with nausea, headaches, and decreased visual acuity. He was diagnosed with pseudotumor cerebri based on the findings of papilledema and a raised opening pressure on lumbar puncture. Three months later, he presented with macroscopic hematuria and persistent epistaxis. Further investigation revealed a prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time and prothrombin time, along with positive LA and reduced Factor II levels, resulting in a diagnosis of LAHPS. The patient received a dose of 1 mg/kg/day of prednisolone along with hydroxychloroquine, and he had a complete recovery with cessation of bleeding and normalization of laboratory parameters. CONCLUSIONS We are reporting a case of pseudotumor cerebri with a further presentation of LAHPS in a patient found to have SLE. As both associations are rare in the presence of SLE, it is vital to recognize them early to initiate adequate management and intervention to avoid life-threatening complications.

Background Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is associated with a high fatality rate (34%), which is higher in the presence of co-morbidities. The aim of the current study was to assess the clinical course and the outcome in hematological or oncological malignancy cases, diagnosed with MERS-CoV. Methods This is a case series of hematological /oncological cases, diagnosed with MERS-CoV, in a tertiary care setting in 2015. The cases were identified based on the World Health Organization (WHO) MERS-CoV case definition. The demographic, clinical, and outcome data were retrieved from the patients’ medical charts and electronic health records. Results In total, nine hematological or oncological cases were identified, diagnosed with MERS-CoV. The baseline malignant condition was hematological malignancy in seven patients, as well as colon cancer and osteosarcoma in one patient each. Six (67%) patients were male. The median age was 65 years (range 16–80 years). Co-morbidities included chronic kidney disease (n = 3.33%), diabetes mellitus (n = 3.33%), and hypertension (n = 2.22%). The presenting symptoms were shortness of breath (n = 6.66%), fever (n = 5.55%), cough (n = 2.22%), and diarrhea (n = 2.22%). Chest x-rays indicated bilateral infiltrates in 6 patients (66%). The PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test was repeated in six patients to confirm the diagnosis. The mortality rate was 100%, and the median time to death was 26 days (range 15–77 days). Conclusion MERS-CoV infection in this small cohort of hematology or oncology patients has a 100% mortality rate, regardless of the status of the underlying disease. The confirmation of the diagnosis may require repeated testing. Additional studies are required to verify the findings and to elucidate the disease pathogenesis in cancer patients.

Background Hyperfractionated cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone alternating with cytarabine and methotrexate (hyper-CVAD) is a commonly used regimen in adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)/lymphoblastic lymphoma (LBL). Adult patients fit for pediatric-inspired protocols have an excellent outcome with chemotherapy alone. However, it is unclear whether patients receiving hyper-CVAD should undergo allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) as postremission therapy. Our aim was to examine the role of HCT at first complete remission (CR1) in adult ALL/LBL after hyper-CVAD. Patients and Methods Adult patients with newly diagnosed ALL/LBL receiving frontline hyper-CVAD from 2008 to 2018 were identified and records retrospectively extracted. Results A total of 85 patients were identified and included for further analysis. The median (range) age was 23 (14-68) years, and 56 (66%) were male. A total of 24 (28%) had adverse cytogenetics, and 48 (56%) had at least one risk factor. All patients received hyper-CVAD as induction; induction failure was seen in 10 (12%). A total of 38 patients continued the hyper-CVAD course, while the remaining 47 received HCT in CR1. Three-year event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival for the entire cohort were 51.4% and 61.6%, respectively. Median follow-up of alive patients was 39.9 (3.8-123.8) months. At multivariable analysis for EFS, induction failure was associated with worse outcome (hazard ratio [HR], 4.8; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.7-13.7; P = .003), whereas HCT in CR1 improved outcome (HR, 0.42; 95% CI 0.18-0.97; P = .044). Furthermore, HCT in CR1 was the only prognostic factor for overall survival (HR, 0.3; 95% CI 0.11-0.85; P = .023). Conclusion HCT at CR1 resulted in a favorable EFS and overall survival in ALL/LBL patients after hyper-CVAD frontline therapy. Given that hyper-CVAD is a widely used protocol for adult patients, further examination of this observation is warranted.

BACKGROUND Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a clonal disease characterized by histiocytic infiltration of multiple organ systems. As ECD is a rare disorder with variable presentations, its diagnosis and management can present a significant clinical challenge. The diagnosis of ECD requires several clinical, radiological, and histological criteria. Since approximately 75% of ECD patients harbor a mutation in the proto-oncogene BRAF V600E, inhibition of BRAF activation by BRAF inhibitors has significantly improved the management of ECD. Vemurafenib was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug administration for treatment of BRAF-mutated ECD. Another BRAF inhibitor, dabrafenib, has been used in some cases as a single agent and was associated with a lower toxicity profile. CASE REPORT We report the case of a 30-year-old Saudi Arabian woman who initially presented with a history of diffuse abdominal pain and fever. The patient had elevated inflammatory markers, and radiological investigations revealed hypermetabolic regions in the frontoparietal brain lobe, anterior pericardium, kidneys, and the anterior abdominal wall. Histological investigations from the right perinephric soft-tissue mass revealed foamy histiocytes associated with mild chronic inflammation. Furthermore, BRAF V600E was mutated in the biopsy sample, leading to a diagnosis of BRAF-mutated ECD. The patient began single-agent dabrafenib therapy at 75 mg twice daily and experienced an excellent clinical and radiological response with no reported toxicity. CONCLUSIONS Single-agent dabrafenib is effective and well tolerated among ECD patients; therefore, it might be considered as a first-line option for the treatment of BRAF-mutated ECD.

Histiocytic disorders are an exceptionally rare group of diseases with diverse manifestations and a paucity of approved treatments, thereby leading to various challenges in their diagnosis and management. With the discovery of novel molecular targets and the incorporation of targeted agents in the management of various adult histiocytic disorders, their management has become increasingly complex. In an attempt to improve the understanding of the clinical features and management of common adult histiocytic disorders (Langerhans cell histiocytosis, Erdheim-Chester disease, Rosai-Dorfman disease, and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis), we created this document based on existing literature and expert opinion.

The prognosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remains poor. Among 180 patients, the median age was 53 (14-88) years. The overall 2-year disease free survival (DFS) was 28.6% (+/- 3.4), 47.7% (+/- 6.6%) for ≤ 40, 23.6% (+/- 5.8%) for 41–60 and 11.7% (+/- 4.2%) for ≥61 (p< 0.0001). The overall 2-year survival (OS) was 45.3% (+/- 3.8%), 78.6% (+/- 5.5%) for ≤40, 43.5% (+/- 6.9%) for 41–60 and 15.8% (+/- 4.8%) for ≥61 (p< 0.0001). Induction outcome of ≥61 was best in high dose chemotherapy (HDC) group (p < 0.0001). Only those ≤40 had durable DFS and OS. HDC appears to improve the outcome of older AML patients.

We present the largest to date of a case series of nine patients with hematological and oncological malignancies who were infected with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). MERS-CoV is a novel beta-coronavirus with a high fatality rate in comorbid patients. The majority of MERS cases globally were reported from Saudi Arabia (1983 cases, including 745 related deaths with a case-fatality rate of 37.5%) according to the WHO update of February 2019. All were clinically stable before acquiring the virus. Most of the cases had an active disease as relapse or refractory with three cases being neutropenic. The clinical presentation and radiological features of the patients were variable and inconsistent (Table 1). Diagnosis was confirmed with RT-PCR assays targeting upstream of the E gene and the open-reading frame gene 1a which had to be done repeatedly and required an average of 3 (with max. of 7) samples for a test to be positive (Table 2). All the patients developed respiratory failure, were admitted to the critical care unit (ICU) and required mechanical ventilation. The length of hospital stay ranged from 15 - 48, with an average of 24 days. Unfortunately, all nine patients died within days after admission to the ICU. In addition, the time from diagnosis to death has an average of 9 days ranging from 2-24 days, respectively. In conclusion, MERS CoV infection in hematology/oncology patients has a very poor prognosis regardless of the status of the underlying disease. The clinical presentation is not distinctive and confirming the diagnosis requires numerous respiratory samples. Measures to prevent nosocomial outbreaks should include proper compliance with personal protection equipment by health-care workers when managing patients with suspected and confirmed MERS-CoV infection and prompt isolation of infected patients. Future research is required to enhance our understanding of the disease and to evaluate superior diagnostic and therapeutic options. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a rare type of non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis, with only 550 cases reported worldwide. ECD is characterized by diffuse histiocytic infiltration of multiorgans. The age of presentation of this disease is typically between 40 and 70 years. Bone disease is the most common symptom, as unique radiological findings of long bone sclerosis occur in 96% of cases. Furthermore, BRAF V600E mutation is detected in 60% of ECD cases. In this manuscript, we are describing a unique case of ECD; the patient is younger than most reported cases and has no bone pain or any skeletal involvement. This patient has unintentionally lost about 50% of his body mass and is suffering from progressive cerebellar manifestations with radiological evidence of cerebellar atrophy, in contrast to the usual ECD manifestation of cerebellar infiltration. In addition, the patient has cardiac, retroperitoneal, and perinephric involvement, but he retains his sexual drive and fertility. A tissue biopsy from the retroperitoneal mass displayed typical morphological and immunohistochemical features of ECD, and BRAF V600E mutation was detected. He was treated with pegylated interferon alpha, but his disease progressed and the treatment was changed to vemurafenib to which he had an excellent response at 6 weeks.

Background: Allogeneic HSCT for adult patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) is potentially curative but not commonly utilized therapy due to complications such as graft failure (GF) and organ toxicity. At our center, we adopted a non-myeloablative (NMA) conditioning regimen in adult patients with severe SCD. Herein, we are reporting our outcome data of up to 5-years of follow up post HSCT. Methods: Following IRB approval, adult patients that underwent HSCT from 2015 to 2020 for severe SCD with at least 6 months of follow up were included. Indications for HSCT were; presence of recurrent vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC), end organ damage, multiple joint AVN, recurrent priapism, transfusion dependency, or RBC alloimmunization. Conditioning regimen consisted of alemtuzumab (1 mg/kg divided over 5 days on days -7 to -3) and 300 cGy TBI on day -2 or -1. Pre-transplant preparation consisted of Hydroxyurea at maximum tolerated dose for 2-3 months. Peripherally mobilized stem cells targeting 10x106/kg of CD34 cells were used. For GVHD prophylaxis sirolimus was started on day -1 and continued for one year with tapering off if lymphoid chimerism is > 50%. EFS was defined as time from HSCT to graft failure or death from any cause whereas OS was defined as time from HSCT to death or last documented follow up. Results: A. Baseline Characteristics: A total of 110 patients were included with a median (range) age of 27 years (14-43), 59% of patients were male. Baseline median hemoglobin and hemoglobin S (HbS) was 95 g/L (64-121) and 74 % (17 -97), respectively. Regular hydroxyurea use was among 108 (98%) and 109 (99%) of patients required at least ≥ 1 transfusion annually. Narcotic pain killers were used regularly in 21 (19%) of patients. Median pre-HSCT ferritin was 1062 and iron chelation was used in 36 (33%). The most common indications for HSCT were (overlapping) recurrent VOC in 93%, ACS in 36%, stroke in 28% and RBC allo-immunization in 26%. Furthermore, 18 patients had 3 indications, 45 had 2 indications while the remaining 47 patients had one indication. Furthermore, 10 (9%) patients had Moya-Moya disease, 5 (5%) had sickling hepatopathy and or liver cirrhosis with total bilirubin up to 670 mmol/L and 1 (1%) patient had end stage renal disease on peritoneal-dialysis. A total of 61 (55%) donors were SC trait and underwent GCSF mobilization without major adverse events as previously reported (Damlaj et al., BMT 2018). 8 (7%) and 15 (14%) had major and minor ABO incompatibility, respectively. The remaining characteristics are found in table 1 B. Transplant Characteristics and Post HSCT Outcome: Median infused CD34x106/kg was 12.4 (6.4-24.9) and 108 (98%) patients had successful engraftment. A total of 12 patients experienced GF; 2 as primary and 10 as secondary within a median time of 129 days (40-583). Outcome post GF was as follows; recurrence of SCD in 6 (50%), aplastic bone marrow in 6 (50%) of whom 4 underwent a second allogeneic HSCT with Flu-Cy-ATG platform and all from MRD. Among second HSCT recipients, 3 are still alive and in SCD free disease status. Among patients with GF, 5 (42%) had minor ABO incompatibility while the remaining 7 (58%) were ABO matched HSCT. Mild acute skin GVHD (grade I to II) occurred in 3 cases and 4 cases developed autoimmune haemolytic anemia that resolved with steroids. Only one patient had CNS bleeding 2 years post-transplant in a background of history of stroke and Moya-Moya disease. A total of 53 (48%) patients successfully discontinued sirolimus while an additional 40 (35%) are on active taper. There were a total of 4 successful pregnancies in 3 patients; 3 pregnancies completed to term while 1 miscarried. Median follow up for the cohort is 16.8 (2-66) months. Estimated 2-year EFS and OS was 87.3% (+/- 0.036) and 97% (+/-0.017). All deaths were due to GF. There was no difference in outcome (EFS or OS) between patients receiving graft from normal vs. SC trait. Post HSCT Hb and chimerism results are shown in table 2. Conclusions: Herein, we present a large real-life experience demonstrating feasibility and favourable outcome of NMA HSCT in adult patients with severe SCD including patients with significant organ dysfunction or neurologic vasculopathy. Successful pregnancies and long-term discontinuation of immune suppression was possible. Longer follow up is warranted to ascertain stability of graft function over time. Disclosure: The authors declare they have no relevant conflicts of interest Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

High-dose salvage chemotherapy followed by haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) is the standard of care in transplant eligible relapsed/refractory (R/R) classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL).1 Approximately, half of patients receiving HCT will achieve long-term remissions, but relapse remains the most common cause of treatment failure. A number of prior studies investigated the value of pre-HCT positron emission tomography (PET) scan as a predictor of outcome. Considerable heterogeneity is noted within these studies due to methodology of PET interpretation, timeline of the scan prior to HCT and whether further clinical decisions were based on the scan results.2, 3, 4, 5 In light of the above, we examined the impact of pre-HCT PET/CT graded on the five-point scale Deauville criteria on the post-HCT outcome.

Objectives The prevalence of concomitant myeloid neoplasms was recently reported to be unexpectedly high among adults without non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis (non-LCH); however, the coexistence of non-LCH with RUNX1 genetic aberration has not been reported previously. Methods Herein, we report a 23-year-old woman with severe pancytopenia diagnosed with non-LCH following presentation with pancytopenia and marrow examination showing histiocytosis positive for CD45, CD68, CD136, and lysozyme but negative for CD1a, langerin, and S100. Results Whole-exome sequencing showed RUNX1 mutation and NF1 mutation. In the ensuing 6 months, she developed hepatosplenomegaly, and repeat bone marrow evaluation was diagnostic of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Repeat mutational analysis showed again presence of RUNX1 mutation. She underwent induction therapy but died of septic shock. Conclusions The demonstration of RUNX1 mutation in both non-LCH and AML bone marrow specimens at differing time points is suggestive of a biologic association of both distinct disease entities.

Background: Although the prevalence of genetic hematological disorders varies widely between geographical regions, region-specific hematological reference ranges have not been defined in Saudi Arabian adults. Methods: A multicenter retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted with 1127 participants who completed their pre-employment screening and recruitment process between January 2013 and December 2016. Data related to the demographic and hematological indices were extracted. Results: The mean age was 28.0±5.2 years (range 19.4-72.8 years) and gender was distributed equally (47.5% female vs. 52.5% male). The WBC reference range was 3.3-11.4 ×109/L; hemoglobin 111-174 gm/l; platelet 163-412 ×109/L; MCV 80-95.7 fl, and neutrophils 1.2-8.8 ×109/L. A robust regression model was used to evaluate the effect of the participant's characteristics on the hematological indices. Except for WBC, the rest of the hematological indices were significantly influenced by gender, region, and age. The 2.5 percentile hemoglobin values were 135 gm/L in males and 104 gm/L in females, while platelet values were 173 x109/L in females and 159 x109/L in males. Conclusion: The study defined local hematological reference ranges, which were mostly lower than reported in international studies used in our center. Hematological values were mainly influenced by gender and region. A community nationwide screening study is required to create reference ranges specifically for the Saudi population. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Introduction: The chemotherapeutic agents are effective in destroying cancerous cells for patient with hematological malignancies, but can damage the germinal cells. Hence, the infertility is the therapy-induced complication, which can be transient or permanent, depending on type of treatment protocol used and other factors. The aim of the study was to assess the fertility status among patients treated for Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Methods: A chart review was done for patients followed up in hematology clinic. All male patients treated for hematological malignancies during the period from 2004-2014 were assessed. The infertility status was assessed using WHO infertility criteria. The fertility status was defined based on semen analysis or having a child post chemotherapy. The data was captured for type of protocol, number of cycles, fertility status, having a child pre and post chemotherapy, and sperm bank utilization. Results were summarized as frequency and percentages. Data was analyzed using SAS. Results: 400 medical charts were reviewed. 208/400 were included based on age inclusion criteria (18-60 years). 59/208 included based on available fertility data, of which 31 were diagnosed with HL, 21 NHL, 4 acute lymphocytic leukemia, and 3 acute myeloid leukemia. Only HL and NHL were considered for further analysis. 9/31 (29%) with HL and 1/21 (4.7%) with NHL had infertility prior to starting chemotherapy based on semen analysis with no follow-up fertility assessment done post-treatment. The final sample consisted of 42 patients who had data available on their fertility status post-treatment (22 HL and 20 NHL) (Figure 1). The mean age was 38 ± 8 years. 25(68%) had advanced disease. Among HL, 8/22 (36.36%) were fertile (7 conceived a child and 1 with normal semen analysis) (Figure 2). This includes 6 out of 9 (66.7%) patients who received ABVD protocol alone, 0 out of 6 who received ABVD + BEACOPP protocol, and 2 (28.6%) out of 7 who received salvage chemotherapy. Among the NHL, 11/20 (55%) were fertile (8 conceived a child and 3 with normal semen analysis) (Figure 2). This includes 7 out of 11 (63.6%) who received CHOP +/-Rituximab protocol, 3 out of 5 (60%) who received CHOP + other chemotherapy (MTX/CVP), 1 out of 3 (33.3%) who received only other chemotherapies (Hyper CVAD/MTX) (Figure 2). 9 out of 22( 41%) HL and 6 out of 20 NHL patients had sperm banking done, and only two utilized their sperms with one successful conception in a patient with NHL (Figure 3). Conclusion: Although the sample size is very small, we found a trend that may suggest HL to affect fertility and that ABVD protocol may not be as safe as it thought to be on fertility. The advanced stage of the disease being the majority may have influenced this finding. We found the documentation of fertility status among patients receiving chemotherapy to be scarce. Hence, it is important to educate physicians and dedicate a protocol for assessment of fertility pre- and post-treatment with encouragement to utilize sperm banking. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the most common inherited disorders in Saudi Arabia with nearly 60,000 affected individuals (Alsultan et al. Ped. Transplant. 2016). Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a curative treatment in SCD. A recent international survey showed excellent long-term survival of SCD patients after HLA-identical sibling HSCT; however, patients aged 16 years or older had higher risk of GVHD and mortality (Gluckman et al. Blood 2017). HLA-identical related HSCT in adult SCD patients using non-myeloablative (NMA) conditioning consisting of alemtuzumab, 300 cGy total body irradiation (TBI), and sirolimus was successful in establishing long term stable donor chimerism with minimal toxicity and GVHD (Hsieh et. al. JAMA 2014). In this study, we reviewed the outcome of SCD patients who underwent transplant at our institution using standard protocols (NMA regimen in patients ≥14 years and myeloablative regimen in < 14 years) to address whether age remains a risk factor that influences HSCT outcome in SCD. Children ( 50,000/uL during HSCT. Supportive care included penicillin V, acyclovir, antifungal, and Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia prophylaxis. Levetiracetam was used as seizure prophylaxis. Strict monitoring of blood pressure and magnesium was performed. Graft failure and death from any cause were considered as events. A total of 51 patients with severe SCD were transplanted at our center, 17 children and 34 adults. Patient and transplant characteristics are summarized in Table. Indications for HSCT included recurrent severe pain crisis (n=33), stroke (n=14), avascular necrosis (n=2), sickle cell hepatopathy (n=1), and priapism (n=1). All patients engrafted successfully for both neutrophil and platelets. There was no acute or chronic GVHD among adult patients. Two pediatric patient had mild grade I acute GVHD in the skin that was controlled with topical treatment and none of pediatric patients had chronic GVHD. Three adult patients developed secondary graft failure on day 61, 170, and 225 post transplant with aplastic marrow in two patients despite full donor chimerism and autologous recovery in the third patient. Among the two patients who had aplastic anemia, one died secondary to sepsis and one underwent successful second transplant using cyclophosphamide, Flu, and ATG. Thirty-one adults have stable donor chimerism. Event free survival (EFS) at 2 years was 90% in adult patients and 100% in children (P=0.3). Overall survival (OS) at 2 years was 97% in adults and 100% in children (P=0.4). Median follow up duration was 416 days (range, 61-1256) in adults and 203 (range, 30-2505) days in children. We demonstrated that age-adapted approach in guiding the choice of conditioning regimen intensity in severe SCD is associated with excellent outcome and minimal risk of graft rejection, GVHD, and transplant-related mortality. This real world data is important to encourage patients and transplant physicians to consider this curative treatment. Longer follow up duration is needed to confirm our findings. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

BACKGROUND: Histiocytic disease is a diverse disease, characterized by multisystem involvement, diagnosis and management can be challenging. Guidelines are important tool to provide evidence-based management; however, guidelines for management of adult histiocytic disease are scarce. METHODOLOGY: A multidisciplinary team from Saudi Arabia developed guidelines to manage the adult histiocytic disease with an intention to provide standard of care for diagnosis and management of the most frequently encountered subtypes of adult histiocytic disease in the region. RESULTS: Detailed guidelines to different categories of histiocytic disease were finalized after review of many international guidelines and extensive literature review. CONCLUSION: Local guidelines for adults histiocytic disease was developed and can be shared with different hematology centers.

Peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) collection from donors through apheresis has become the main source of stem cells for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. This procedure requires a high blood flow venous access. A peripheral venous catheter (PVC), compared to a central venous catheter (CVC), is considered to provide safer venous access. However, initially at our institution, King Abdul-Aziz Medical City - Riyadh, a CVC was frequently used (72%). A quality improvement multidisciplinary team has been formed to conduct a systematic quality performance analysis to evaluate the current process of collecting donor PBSCs with the aim to reduce CVC use to less than the international benchmark (20%). A quality improvement methodology, rapid cycles of plan-do-study-act (PDSA), was used to test a set of initiatives. An Intravenous (IV) team assessed the donor's venous access and inserted an appropriate PVC when feasible. This project ran over 16 months with 42 adult donors undergoing PBSC collection. During the first PDSA cycle, 1 CVC was inserted for every 4 donors. In the second PDSA cycle, 1 CVC was inserted for every 8 apheresis donations. In the third PDSA cycle, no CVC was used for 30 apheresis donations. The targeted stem cell dose was collected successfully in one apheresis session in all donors assigned for PVC access with no complications. A significant reduction of CVC use from 72% to 0% was achieved. This quality improvement project demonstrated that a successful apheresis procedure can be achieved easily and safely in the majority of PBSC donors preventing the potential adverse events associated with CVCs. The interdisciplinary collaboration between the IV team, apheresis and clinical hematology teams was paramount to optimize the safe care of donors.