Single 4.5 mg fixed-dose of rasburicase for hyperuricemia associated with tumor lysis syndrome.

Rasburicase is a recombinant urate oxidase enzyme administered for treatment of hyperuricemia associated with tumor lysis syndrome. Studies demonstrate effectiveness of single fixed-dose rasburicase as compared to the FDA-approved dose of 0.2 mg/kg intravenously daily for up to five days.

Reducing Time to Antibiotic Administration for Febrile Neutropenia in the Emergency Department.

Purpose: Febrile neutropenia (FN) is an oncologic emergency, and prolonged time to antibiotic administration (TTA) is associated with increased hospital length of stay (LOS) and worse outcomes. We hypothesized that a febrile neutropenia pathway (FNP) quality initiative project would reduce TTA delays for febrile patients with cancer presenting to the emergency department (ED).

Methods: This prospective study compared ED FNP patients (> 18 years old), between June 2012 and June 2013 with both historical and direct admissions (DA) cohorts at a multispecialty academic center.

Rates of febrile neutropenia with pegfilgrastim on same day versus next day of CHOP with or without rituximab.

Febrile neutropenia is a complication of myleotoxic chemotherapy that can markedly decrease quality of life and increase healthcare costs. A granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) is used to increase neutrophil production to reduce the risk of developing febrile neutropenia. However, G-CSF administered on the same day as chemotherapy can worsen and prolong neutropenia.

Outcomes in obese and overweight acute myeloid leukemia patients receiving chemotherapy dosed according to actual body weight.

Cytotoxic chemotherapy dosages are traditionally calculated according to body surface area (BSA). No guidelines exist for chemotherapy dosing of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients at extremes of weight. We investigated the efficacy and safety of chemotherapy dosed according to BSA based on actual body weight (ABW) among under/normal weight, overweight, and obese AML patients.

Effects of critical illness and organ failure on therapeutic argatroban dosage requirements in patients with suspected or confirmed heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.

Background: Critically ill patients often require therapeutic argatroban dosages lower than those recommended in package labeling. The magnitude of dosage alteration in relation to severity of organ failure is unknown.

Objective: To compare therapeutic argatroban dosages between critically ill and noncritically ill patients with confirmed or suspected heparin-induced thrombocytopenia and investigate the relationship between total Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score and therapeutic argatroban dosage.