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Cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation post‐allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (post‐alloHCT) increases morbidity and mortality. We sought to determine the frequency of CMV seroconversion in patients pre‐alloHCT and to investigate the impact on posttransplant outcomes. We retrospectively investigated 752 adult patients who underwent alloHCT at our center from January 2015 to February 2020 before the adoption of letermovir prophylaxis. CMV serology was assessed at consult and pretransplant. The cohort was divided into four groups based on pretransplant CMV seroconversion: negative to positive (Group 1), positive to negative (Group 2), consistently negative (Group 3), and consistently positive (Group 4). Eighty‐nine patients (12%) had seroconverted from negative to positive, 17 (2%) from positive to negative, 151 (20%) were consistently seronegative, and 495 (66%) were consistently seropositive pretransplant. For the four CMV serostatus groups, cumulative incidence of CMV reactivation at 6 months posttransplant was 4.5%, 47.1%, 6.6%, and 76.6% for Groups 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively (p <.0001). No differences between groups were seen regarding Grade III–IV acute graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD) (p =.91), moderate/severe chronic GVHD (p =.41), or graft failure (p =.28). On multivariable analysis, there was no impact of CMV serostatus group on overall survival (p =.67), cumulative incidence of relapse (p =.83) or non‐relapse mortality. alloHCT patients who demonstrate CMV seroconversion pretransplant from negative to positive have a very low risk of CMV reactivation posttransplant. The observed seroconversion may be due to passive CMV immunity acquired through blood products. Quantitative CMV immunoglobulin G/immunoglobulin M pretransplant may help differentiate between true seroconversion and passively transmitted CMV immunoglobulin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) is a rare complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Primary prophylaxis for 6–12 months post‐HSCT is the standard approach. However, there is no consensus regarding the optimal duration of prophylaxis. Methods: We identified patients who developed PJP more than 1‐year post‐HSCT. All patients had previously received 12 months of PJP prophylaxis. PJP was diagnosed based on clinical findings and the detection of P. jirovecii in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The CD4+ T‐cell percentage was determined using flow cytometry. Data expressed as median (interquartile range). Results: Ten patients developed PJP at 17.5 months (16–24 months) post‐HSCT. PJP diagnosis occurred 5.5 months (3–15 months) after discontinuing prophylaxis. Eight patients received anti‐thymocyte globulin (ATG) as graft versus host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis. At diagnosis, only one patient had lymphopenia; all patients had CD4+ T‐lymphocyte counts ≥0.2 × 109/L (median 0.337 × 109/L). Three patients had concomitant bacterial infections. The clinical presentation was mild; only three required hospitalization, none of them required intensive care and there were no deaths. Conclusion: There is a need to develop risk‐adapted prophylactic strategies in the contemporary era using ATG‐based GVHD prophylaxis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe aplastic anemia (SAA) is a life-threatening type of aplastic anemia for which allogeneic stem cell transplantation or immunosuppressive therapy are the principal treatment modalities. Only about 25–30% of patients have a matched sibling donor, and finding an unrelated donor in ethnic minorities is a challenge. The use of related haploidentical donor transplants in severe aplastic anemia is uncommon. We would like to report our experience with the first four patients who underwent haploidentical transplants for severe aplastic anemia. This is a retrospective study. We collected data from our transplant database of all haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplants for SAA from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2021. The transplant protocol used was the Hopkins' protocol. There were three patients who underwent haploidentical transplants as primary therapy for SAA. A fourth patient received a haploidentical transplant after immunosuppressive therapy failure. The median age of the patients at transplant was 24 y (range 20–29). All patients were engrafted. Neutrophil engraftment occurred at a median of 21 days (range 17–22). Any active infections resolved with the recovery of blood counts. The median hospitalization time was 27 days (range 22–41). Only one patient had grade 2 acute GVHD involving the skin. There was no chronic GVHD. All patients had complete lymphoid and myeloid donor chimerism on day 60. Based on our experience and the emerging literature, haplo-identical transplantation should be considered for select young patients with SAA who have low chances of responding to immunosuppressive therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Right-sided endocarditis (RSE) accounts for 5%-10% of all cases of infective endocarditis (IE) and frequently has different etiological, pathogenetic, and clinical presentations compared with left-sided endocarditis (LSE). The aims of this study were to evaluate the epidemiologic and clinical characteristics and prognosis of RSE patients and to compare them with those of LSE patients. This study's importance relates to the local understanding of RSE and LSE, since Israeli demographics are different compared to the Unites States and Europe with regard to intravenous drug abuse and rheumatic valvular disease prevalence. Material and Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 215 patients with infective endocarditis was performed. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. The secondary outcomes were duration of hospitalization, recurrent hospitalization, recurrent infective endocarditis, and one-year mortality. Results: Of the 215 patients in the study, 176 had LSE and 39 had RSE. The RSE patients were younger than the LSE patients (48.1±18.9 years versus 61.8±17.0 years, P<0.001). The most common pathogen in both groups was Staphylococcus aureus, which occurred more in the RSE group (51%) versus the LSE group (19%). In-hospital mortality was lower among patients with RSE (2.6% versus 17%, P<0.037). Conclusions: Our study demonstrated an increasing percentage of RSE compared to LSE among patients with IE. Pacemaker lead infection has become the leading cause of RSE in intravenous drug users (IVDU), although less common in Southern Israel. The etiological and clinical differences between RSE and LSE are noteworthy. Patients with RSE have a better prognosis than those with LSE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Angioedema is a localized, sudden, transient, and often recurrent swelling of the deeper layers of the skin or mucosa with no epidermal component. It is caused by vasoactive substances that produce a transient increase in endothelial permeability. Angioedema involving the laryngeal components is a life-threatening situation for the patient, and it is a challenge for the emergency medicine physician to rapidly achieve a safety airway. Most cases of laryngeal angioedema are induced by histamine release; but 10% are bradykinin induced, which does not respond to the conventional algorithm of treating allergic-induced angioedema. We present a case report of an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor-induced laryngeal angioedema alleviated only after treatment with the new bradykinin receptor inhibitor medication icatibant which was licensed only for use in hereditary angioedema. We reviewed the literature for the use of icatibant in acquired drug-induced angioedema; and because of the similar pathogenesis between the hereditary angioedema and the ACE inhibitor-induced angioedema,we propose an algorithm for careful use of icatibant in life-threatening angioedema in the emergency department. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]