Utility of hydroxychloroquine laboratory monitoring in dermatologic and rheumatologic patients

Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is an immunomodulator used in dermatology and rheumatology. Side effects may be observed on routine monitoring studies before they become clinically apparent. The goal of this retrospective chart review was to assess laboratory abnormalities in dermatologic and rheumatologic patients taking HCQ. Medical records of patients prescribed HCQ were retrospectively reviewed. Demographics, reported side effects, and parameters on baseline and follow-up complete blood count (CBC) and comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) were recorded and graded. Laboratory abnormalities were considered severe if they were grade 3 or greater according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v3.0 and persistent if they continued beyond subsequent laboratory testing. Of 646 eligible charts, 289 had monitoring studies for review. There were 35 severe (grade 3 or 4, 35/289; 12%) adverse events that developed, as noted on CBC or CMP. Of these 35 severe adverse events, 25 self-corrected on subsequent testing, and 10 (10/289, 3%) across 9 patients were persistent, including glomerular filtration rate, alanine transferase, alkaline phosphatase, glucose, hemoglobin and lymphopenia abnormalities. Of these 10 abnormalities, 7/10 (70%) were unlikely due to hydroxychloroquine use according to the calculated Naranjo score for each patient. Severe laboratory abnormalities while taking hydroxychloroquine are rare, even in a population with a high rate of comorbidities. Among the abnormalities observed, the majority of them (70%) were likely due to disease progression or a medication other than hydroxychloroquine. CBC and CMP monitoring for the reason of observing abnormalities while on HCQ should be at the discretion of the prescribing physician.

Is there a role for the laboratory monitoring in the management of specific antidotes of direct oral anticoagulants?

Given the growing number of patients receiving direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC), patients requiring rapid neutralization is also increasing in case of major bleedings or urgent surgery/procedures. Idarucizumab is commercialized as a specific antidote to dabigatran while andexanet alfa has gained the Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency approval as an oral anti-factor Xa inhibitors antidote. Other antidotes or hemostatic agents are still under preclinical or clinical development, the most advanced being ciraparantag. DOAC plasma levels measurement allows to appropriately select patient for antidote administration and may prevent unnecessary prescription of expensive molecules in some acute clinical settings. However, these tests might be inconclusive after some antidote administration, namely andexanet alfa and ciraparantag. The benefit of laboratory monitoring following DOAC reversal remains unclear. Here, we sought to provide an overview of the key studies evaluating the safety and efficacy of DOAC reversal using the most developed/commercialized specific antidotes, to discuss the potential role of the laboratory monitoring in the management of patients receiving DOAC specific antidotes and to highlight the areas that deserve further investigations in order to establish the exact role of laboratory monitoring in the appropriate management of DOAC specific antidotes.

Major Bleeding During Thrombolytic Therapy for Acute Lower Limb Ischaemia: Value of Laboratory Tests for Clinical Decision Making, 17 Years of Experience

OBJECTIVE

Regular measurement of fibrinogen as dose guidance in catheter directed thrombolysis (CDT) for acute limb ischaemia (ALI) has recently been dropped from European guidelines based on inconsistent literature. This study aimed to determine whether low fibrinogen levels and high activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) are associated with an increased major bleeding risk during CDT.

METHODS

All consecutive patients treated with CDT for ALI in two Dutch hospitals between January 2004 and April 2021 were analysed retrospectively. Patients were treated with two dosing regimens (low dose: 50 000 IU/hour; high dose: 100 000 IU/hour) of urokinase and, after 2018, with a single low dose regimen of alteplase (rtPA) due to urokinase manufacturing problems. The incidence of major bleeding and associated APTT and fibrinogen levels were reviewed from patient charts.

RESULTS

Of the 443 included cases, 277 underwent CDT with urokinase and 166 with rtPA. The incidence of major bleeding in the whole cohort was 7%. Patients with a fibrinogen levels < 1.0 g/L developed more major bleeding than those in whom the fibrinogen level did not drop below 1.0 g/L (15% vs. 6%; p = .041). Systemic heparinisation during CDT or high (> 80 seconds) APTT were not significantly associated with major bleeding. Angiographic success (47% vs. 72%; p = .003) and 30 day amputation free survival (53% vs. 82%; p < .001) were lower for cases with major bleeding. Older age (odds ratio [OR] 1.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02 - 1.11), cardiac history (OR 3.35, 95% CI 1.39 - 8.06), high dose regimens (≥ 75 000 IU/hour urokinase; OR 2.67, 95% CI 1.18 - 6.04), and fibrinogen values < 1.0 g/L (OR 5.59, 95% CI 1.98 - 15.77) were independent predictors for major bleeding during CDT.

CONCLUSION

High dose thrombolytic regimens and fibrinogen levels of ≤ 1.0 g/L are associated with more major bleeding during thrombolytic therapy. Major bleeding significantly worsened the clinical outcome. A prospective comparative study is needed to assess the benefit of monitoring fibrinogen levels.

Progress, and prospects in the therapeutic armamentarium of persons with congenital hemophilia. Defining the place for liver-directed gene therapy

In persons with congenital severe hemophilia A (HA) living in high-income countries, twice weekly intravenous infusions of extended half-life (EHL) factor VIII (FVIII) products, or weekly/biweekly/monthly subcutaneous injections of emicizumab are the gold standard home treatments to grant days without hurdles and limitations. Once weekly/twice monthly infusions of EHL Factor IX (FIX) products achieve the same target in severe hemophilia B (HB). Gene therapy, which is likely to be licensed for clinical use within 1-2 years, embodies a shift beyond these standards. At an individual patient level, a single functional gene transfer leads to a > 10-yr almost full correction of the hemostatic defect in HB and to a sustained (3-6-yrs) expression of FVIII sufficient to discontinue exogenous clotting factor administrations. At the doses employed, the limited liver toxicity of systemically infused recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors is documented by long-term (12-15 yrs) follow-ups, and pre-existing high-titer neutralizing antibodies to the AAV5 vector are no longer an exclusion criterion for effective transgene expression with this vector. A safe durable treatment that converts a challenging illness to a phenotypically curable disease, allows persons to feel virtually free from the fears and the obligations of hemophilia for years/decades. Along with patient organizations and health care professionals, communicating to government authorities and reimbursement agencies the liberating potential of this substantial innovation, and disseminating across the Centers updated information on benefits and risks of this strategy, will align expectations of different stakeholders and establish the notion of a potentially lifelong cure of hemophilia.

Fibrinogen, Coagulation, and Ageing

The World Health Organization estimates that the world's population over 60 years of age will nearly double in the next 30 years. This change imposes increasing demands on health and social services with increased disease burden in older people, hereafter defined as people aged 60 years or more. An older population will have a greater incidence of cardiovascular disease partly due to higher levels of blood fibrinogen, increased levels of some coagulation factors, and increased platelet activity. These factors lead to a hypercoagulable state which can alter haemostasis, causing an imbalance in appropriate coagulation, which plays a crucial role in the development of cardiovascular diseases. These changes in haemostasis are not only affected by age but also by gender and the effects of hormones, or lack thereof in menopause for older females, ethnicity, other comorbidities, medication interactions, and overall health as we age. Another confounding factor is how we measure fibrinogen and coagulation through laboratory and point-of-care testing and how our decision-making on disease and treatment (including anticoagulation) is managed. It is known throughout life that in normal healthy individuals the levels of fibrinogen and coagulation factors change, however, reference intervals to guide diagnosis and management are based on only two life stages, paediatric, and adult ranges. There are no specific diagnostic guidelines based on reference intervals for an older population. How ageing relates to alterations in haemostasis and the impact of the disease will be discussed in this chapter. Along with the effect of anticoagulation, laboratory testing of fibrinogen and coagulation, future directions, and implications will be presented.

Improving the safety of outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy for patients with solid tumors

Background and objectives

Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) for infections has been in use for nearly 40 years, and although it has been found safe and efficacious, its use has been studied primarily among otherwise healthy patients. We aimed to develop and evaluate an OPAT program for patients with cancer, particularly solid tumors.

Methods

We implemented multiple quality improvement interventions between June 2018 and January 2020. We retrospectively and prospectively collected data on demographics, the completeness of infectious diseases (ID) physician consultation notes, rates of laboratory test result monitoring, ID clinic follow-up, and 30-day outcomes, including unplanned OPAT-related readmissions, OPAT-related emergency center visits, and deaths.

Results

Completeness of ID provider notes improved from a baseline of 77 to 100% (p < .0001) for antimicrobial recommendations, 75 to 97% (p < .0001) for follow-up recommendations, and 19 to 98% (p < .0001) for laboratory test result monitoring recommendations. Completion of laboratory tests increased from a baseline rate of 24 to 56% (p = .027). Thirty-day unplanned OPAT-related readmission, ID clinic follow-up, 30-day emergency center visit, and death rates improved without reaching statistical significance.

Conclusions

Sustained efforts, multiple interventions, and multidisciplinary engagement can improve laboratory test result monitoring among solid tumor patients discharged with OPAT. Although demonstrating a decrease in unplanned readmissions through institution of a formal OPAT program among patients with solid malignancies may be more difficult compared with the general population, the program may still result in improved safety.

High-sensitivity C-reactive protein in HIV care: Tuberculosis diagnosis and short-term mortality in a cohort of Kenyan HIV patients in the DREAM programme

OBJECTIVE

Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death in HIV-positive people. In Kenya, 140 000 new TB cases occurred in 2019, and 13 000 HIV-positive patients died due to TB. The objective of this study was to investigate the role of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (HS-CRP) in TB diagnosis and the prediction of mortality in HIV-positive patients.

METHODS

The IDEA-TB Study enrolled HIV-positive adult patients attending three DREAM centres in Kenya who were suspected of having TB. A lateral flow urine lipoarabinomannan assay (LF-LAM), serum HS-CRP, and GeneXpert MTB/RIF assay (Xpert MTB/RIF) were performed. Six-month survival was evaluated.

RESULTS

A total of 574 patients were enrolled. The median (interquartile range) age, body mass index, and CD4 count were 45 years (37-54 years), 20.5 kg/m² (18.5-23.69 kg/m²), and 477 cells/mL (290-700 cells/mL), respectively. TB was confirmed in 87 (15.2%) patients. Concordance between the Xpert MTB/RIF and LF-LAM tests was 87.1%. HS-CRP was higher in TB patients (35.39 mg/l vs 9.21 mg/l). Malnutrition and elevated HS-CRP were associated with TB: odds ratio (OR) 2.5 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.14-5.72) and OR 6.6 (95% CI 3.87-11.52), respectively. Nine (1.6%) patients died during follow-up. No single factor was associated with mortality. Only the combination of malnutrition and elevated HS-CRP was highly predictive of death (odds ratio (OR) 9.8, 95% CI 1.88-50.95); the association was stronger in TB patients (33.3% vs 1.0%; OR 47.6, 95% CI 7.03-322.23).

CONCLUSION

TB diagnosis in HIV-positive patients remains challenging. HS-CRP could play a role in predicting early mortality in symptomatic patients.

The evolving landscape of gene therapy for congenital haemophilia: An unprecedented, problematic but promising opportunity for worldwide clinical studies

With liver-directed gene therapy, congenital haemophilia has the potential to progress from an incurable to a phenotypically curable condition. However, the proportion of haemophilia population likely to benefit from gene therapy remains to be established. Achieving a phenotypic curative goal is presently hampered by: 1) availability of effective treatments (e.g. extended half-life products, non-factor therapies) that address major unmet needs in haemophilia; 2) key differences between hope and reality that patients undergoing gene therapy face (e.g. unknown risks and long-term follow-up, durability of the therapeutic effect, possibility of re-administering the vector), 3) lack of expertise of health care professionals (HCP) in managing/monitoring unexpected side effects in patients, and 4) lack of expertise of HCP in advising payers on key issues for cost-effectiveness analyses of gene therapy (e.g., eligibility criteria, predictability of response, unknown risks, long-term complications). There is also uncertainty about the possibility to absorb the cost of the "one-time, one-dose cure" by payers that are used to different payment models. An active partnership between regulators, payers, patients and health care professionals is key to identify patient sub-populations that might benefit the most from gene therapy, and to align the interests of patients (needing effective disease correction and improved quality of life) and pharma companies (reluctant to lose the profitability of lifelong repeated treatments). Educational programs will provide the healthcare chain with information on the strategy that is expected to transform morbidity and mortality patterns and how it should be regarded as part of the future therapeutic options in haemophilia.

Paradigm shift for the treatment of hereditary haemophilia: Towards precision medicine

Patients with haemophilia A (HA) or B (HB) experience spontaneous limb- or life-threatening bleedings which are prevented by regular prophylactic intravenous infusions of the deficient coagulation factor (FVIII or FIX). Prophylaxis with subcutaneous long-acting non-factor products that improve in vivo thrombin generation is now under intensive investigation (concizumab, fitusiran) or successfully employed (emicizumab) in haemophilia patients. Both haemophilia patients with/without inhibitors take advantage of non-factor products employed alone. In those who also need bypassing agents (or FVIII concentrates) for breakthrough bleeds, thromboembolic events and/or thrombotic microangiopathy may occur. By enhancing thrombin generation, prothrombotic mutations co-segregating with FVIII/FIX gene mutations may trigger thrombotic episodes in HA patients carrying acquired thrombogenic factors (e.g. venous catheters). A thorough knowledge of individual needs increasingly contributed to improve comprehensive care and personalize treatments in haemophilia. Integrating genomics, lifestyle and environmental data is expected to be key to: 1) identify which haemophilia patients are less likely to benefit from a given intervention; 2) define optimal dosing and scheduling of bypassing agents (or FVIII) to employ in combination with non-factor products; 3) establish tests to monitor in vivo thrombin generation; 4) improve communication and deliver results to individuals. As individual outcomes will be improved and the risk of adverse events minimized, non-factor products will come into wider use within the haemophilia community, and patients will hopefully have no more risks of breakthrough bleeds. The risks of a normal life for a "former haemophilia patient" is likely to change the treatment landscape and the structure of haemophilia Centers.

Effective Use of the Laboratory in the Management of Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) comprises a group of chronic, intestinal inflammatory disorders, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. IBD is characterized by periods of relapse and remission. Long-term progressive intestinal inflammation can result in severe and devastating complications, such as intestinal strictures and/or fistulae. Immune suppressive medications with potent side effects are often used to control inflammation and limit disease activity. Laboratory tests guide various decisions in clinical management of IBD. We discuss tests used to diagnose IBD, assess for relapse or remission, monitor the effectiveness of therapeutic regimen, screen for the maintenance of health, and diagnose or prevent complications.

Impact of a co-curricular, e-learning activity on pharmacy student knowledge of laboratory values

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Pharmacists are increasingly taking on roles that require interpretation of laboratory values. We sought to assess the impact of a co-curricular, e-learning activity on pharmacy student knowledge of laboratory values.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING

We implemented a co-curricular, e-learning activity during the 2015-2016 academic year at the South Carolina College of Pharmacy. While students in all professional years could participate, the activity was required for those in their third professional year (P3). The activity consisted of a two-hour recorded lesson and accompanying handout. We administered a pre-assessment consisting of 10 multiple-choice questions, followed by a post-assessment comprised of 20 questions, including the 10 questions from the pre-assessment. Mean scores on these 10 questions were compared before and after the activity.

FINDINGS

Two hundred and thirty-five students completed the activity. Mean pre-assessment scores numerically increased as year of study increased; ranging from 65.0% to 93.4%. Compared to mean pre-assessment scores for all students, mean post-assessment scores were higher (82.2% vs. 94.3%, p < 0.001). When pre- and post-assessment scores were evaluated by year of study, significant improvements in post-assessment scores were observed for all groups (p ≤ 0.009).

SUMMARY

Following the completion of a co-curricular, e-learning activity designed to provide instruction on laboratory values for pharmacy students, increases in mean post-assessment scores were observed. Applicability of our results is reduced for students outside of the P3 year.

Thrombodynamics, a new global coagulation test: Measurement of heparin efficiency

The actual coagulation status may be reliably measured using only highly sensitive global functional tests; however, they are not numerous and all of them have disadvantages. Thrombodynamics (TD), a novel global coagulation test, is sensitive to hypo- and hypercoagulable states. The main properties of this test were investigated, and its capabilities for hemostasis analysis were verified through pharmacodynamic monitoring of the most widely used anticoagulants, heparins. The anticoagulant effects in the plasma of donors (n = 20) and patients after hip replacement (n = 20) spiked with unfractionated heparin or enoxaparin were measured in vitro to eliminate the influence of pharmacokinetic factors. Sensitivity for heparins was compared for activated partial thromboplastin time, thrombin generation tests and TD. TD was shown to reliably characterize the pharmacodynamics of any heparin in the entire range of its prophylactic and therapeutic concentrations. Inter-individual variability for the anticoagulant action of heparins was also calculated using the TD data. This variability did not differ between the investigated groups and did not exceed 12% and 20% for the stationary clot growth rate in the presence of unfractionated heparin and enoxaparin, respectively. That finding was in accordance with the values determined earlier using the thrombin generation test. The study results showed that TD has advantages over the other global methods of coagulation analysis. These advantages are good standardization, high reproducibility, independence of the parameter values from patient age and gender, and a narrower parameter distribution in a normal population. These results indicate that TD is a promising universal assessment method that improves the quality of hemostasis analysis because it more reliably detects deviations from the parameters' reference values.

Anticoagulant Reversal and Anesthetic Considerations

Bleeding complications are a common concern with the use of anticoagulant agents. In many situations, reversing of neutralizing their effects may be warranted. Prothrombin complex concentrate replaces coagulation factors lowered by warfarin, as does fresh frozen plasma, but in a more concentrated form. Protamine negates the effect of heparin and combines chemically with heparin molecules to form an inactive salt. It also partially reverses the effects of low-molecular-weight heparin. Recombinant activated factor VII is a nonspecific procoagulant that activates the extrinsic clotting pathway, resulting in thrombin generation, but does not directly neutralize the activity of any of the new oral anticoagulants.

Monitoring of anticoagulant therapy in cancer patients with thrombosis and the usefulness of blood activation markers

Thrombotic diseases caused by cancer progression have been reported as one of the major causes of cancer associated morbidity and mortality along with cancer invasiveness and infectious complications. Moreover, anticoagulant therapy with heparin and heparin-like drugs, or vitamin K antagonists, or the Direct Oral Anticoagulants, is seeing an extended application in cancer patients and offers prolonged life expectancy to oncology patients for whom blood activation and thrombotic events have a variable incidence, depending on cancer type. Laboratory tools are highly useful for identifying patients at thrombotic risk through the measurement of blood activation markers and selecting those appropriate for anticoagulant therapy. Among the pathological markers, DDimer or Extracellular Vesicles have the highest diagnostic value in these pathological conditions. Global assays are useful for dosage adjustment, such as assessing either an induced anticoagulant effect or the measurement of drug activity. Various assays are also developed such as platelet aggregometry techniques for evaluating drug induced- aggregates or methods allowing measurement of the drug activity to its targeted coagulation factors such as: heparin to thrombin or Factor Xa; DOACs to Thrombin or Factor Xa (Dabigatran to thrombin and DiXaIs, Rivaroxaban, Apixaban, and Edoxaban, to Factor Xa). Such explorative techniques help to find the right dosage adjustment to protect patients from developing thrombosis without exposing them bleeding. It also permits exploration of unexpected drug behavior in treated patients, to check the right adherence to therapy in long-term anticoagulant protocols, and prevention of bleeding in patients with impaired renal or hepatic function. Complementary use of blood activation markers brings additional information on the curative effects of the anticoagulant therapy, and allows identification of pro-thrombotic activity in the clinically silent state. These issues are concisely addressed below.

Determination of edoxaban equivalent concentrations in human plasma by an automated anti-factor Xa chromogenic assay

INTRODUCTION

This phase I, open-label, multiple-dose, two-treatment study assessed the relationship between edoxaban equivalent concentration derived from an anti-FXa assay with the summed concentration of edoxaban and its active metabolite, M-4, as assessed by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). This study also assessed the relationship between edoxaban plasma concentrations assessed by LC/MS/MS in sodium citrate and lithium heparin tubes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Healthy volunteers were randomized to receive once-daily edoxaban 60mg or 90mg for 5days (15 participants per treatment group). Serial blood samples were collected for analysis by LC/MS/MS and by the anti-FXa assay. Edoxaban equivalent levels were assessed using a commercially available anti-FXa activity assay with an edoxaban-specific setup.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

The day 5 concentration estimates were significantly correlated between the 2 assays (P<0.0001 for both edoxaban doses). The geometric least squares mean (GLSM) ratio (90% confidence interval) for edoxaban equivalent concentrations vs edoxaban + M-4 concentrations was 114.3% (108.2-120.8) for edoxaban 60mg (P<0.0001) and 113.0% (107.1-119.2) for edoxaban 90mg (P=0.0002). The GLSM ratio for edoxaban concentrations in sodium citrate vs lithium heparin tubes for 60-mg and 90-mg edoxaban doses were 82.8% (78.5-87.3) and 83.9% (79.1-89.0), respectively. In this study, an anti-FXa chromogenic assay with edoxaban-specific calibrators and controls demonstrated good accuracy in estimating edoxaban concentrations across a wide range of concentrations relative to LC/MS/MS at steady state following the administration of once-daily edoxaban for 5days.

Pathology consultation on monitoring direct thrombin inhibitors and overcoming their effects in bleeding patients

OBJECTIVES

Direct thrombin inhibitors (DTIs), a relatively new class of anticoagulants, present several challenges regarding monitoring of their anticoagulant effects and overcoming bleeding associated with their use. The aim of this article is to (1) briefly present the pharmacologic properties of currently available DTIs, (2) discuss approaches to laboratory assessment of these drugs, and (3) review management of bleeding associated with their use.

METHODS

Published literature on DTIs, including clinical trials, case reports, and experimental animal models, was reviewed. The primary authors also reviewed their first-hand experiences with DTI anticoagulation.

RESULTS

Based on the literature review and the practical experiences of the authors, suggestions for the monitoring of DTIs and algorithmic approaches for the management of DTI-associated bleeding were developed.

CONCLUSIONS

Routine coagulation assays (eg, the prothrombin time) show a relatively poor correlation with the degree of anticoagulation and DTI drug concentrations. Newer assays, such as the ecarin clotting time and dilute thrombin time, may be more useful in assessing DTI anticoagulation, but these assays are not yet widely available. Low-grade DTI-associated bleeds are best managed with cessation of the drug and supportive care, while higher-grade and/or life-threatening bleeds may best be reversed by active drug removal (eg, via the administration of activated charcoal or hemodialysis). At present there is little evidence to suggest that transfusion products such as factor concentrates or thawed plasma are of any particular benefit in DTI reversal; however, these products may play a supportive role in the management of bleeding.