Systemic tobramycin concentrations during selective decontamination of the digestive tract in intensive care unit patients on continuous venovenous hemofiltration

OBJECTIVE: To study whether selective decontamination of the digestive tract (SDD) results in detectable serum tobramycin concentrations in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with acute renal failure treated with continuous venovenous hemofiltration (CVVH). DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective, observational, single-center study in a mixed medical-surgical ICU. PATIENTS: Adult ICU patients receiving SDD for at least 3 days and being treated with CVVH because of acute renal failure. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Tobramycin serum concentrations were measured at the 3rd day after start of CVVH and every 3 days thereafter. Detectable serum concentrations of tobramycin were found in 12 (63%) of 19 patients and in 15 (58%) of the 26 samples. With a toxic tobramycin concentration defined as more than 2.0 mg/l, we found one patient with a toxic concentration of 3.0 mg/l. In three other patients tobramycin concentrations of >or=1.0 mg/l were found. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with acute renal failure treated with CVVH, administration of SDD with tobramycin can lead to detectable and potentially toxic serum tobramycin concentration

Oesophagitis in intensive-care patients

Cette étude a pour but de vérifier si le maintien prolongé d'une sonde naso-gastrique chez les malades de réanimation peut favoriser le développement d'une oesophagite peptique. 21 malades ont eu une fibroscopie à leur entrée en réanimation et entre le 15e et le 30e jour. L'oesophagite apparaît très fréquente dès le début de la maladie et seul un malade n'a pas présenté de lésion inflammatoire au cours de l'évolution. La biopsie oesophagienne systématique permet d'améliorer la rentabilité diagnostique de l'endoscopie. Cette grande fréquence semble être en liaison avec la diminution de la tonicité du sphincter inférieur de l'oesophage

Rituximab maintenance after autologous stem cell transplantation prolongs response duration in non-naive rituximab follicular lymphoma patients: a single institution experience

International audienceWe retrospectively evaluated the role of rituximab (R) in maintenance treatment after autologous stem cell transplantationperformed in patients with relapsed follicular lymphoma. We compared the outcome of 67 follicular lymphoma (FL) patients according to the use of rituximab maintenance (RM) or not. All patients received rituximab plus chemotherapy before autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT). Patients received median of two lines of prior therapy. The RM schedule was one injection of rituximab every 3 months for 2 years. Median follow-up is 4.6 years. The 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) after ASCT was 86 % with RM vs. 46 % without (p = 0.0045). Median is not reached in the RM arm vs. 31 months in non-RM arm. The 3-year OS was 96 % with RM vs. 78 % without (p = 0.059). The present monocentric study shows that 2 years of RM after ASCT significantly increases response duration for non-naive rituximab relapsed FL patients compared with observation

Combining brentuximab vedotin with dexamethasone, high-dose cytarabine and cisplatin as salvage treatment in relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma: the phase II HOVON/LLPC Transplant BRaVE study

Achieving a metabolic complete response (mCR) before high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) and autologous peripheral blood stem-cell transplant (auto-PBSCT) predicts progression free survival (PFS) in relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma (R/R cHL). We added brentuximab vedotin (BV) to DHAP to improve the mCR rate. In a Phase I dose-escalation part in 12 patients, we showed that BV-DHAP is feasible. This Phase II study included 55 R/R cHL patients (23 primary refractory). Treatment consisted of three 21-day cycles of BV 1.8 mg/kg on day 1, and DHAP (dexamethasone 40mg days 1-4, cisplatin 100mg/m2; day 1 and cytarabine 2x2g/m2; day 2). Patients with a metabolic partial response (mPR) or mCR proceeded to HDC/auto-PBSCT. Based on independent central FDG-PET-CT review, 42 of 52 evaluable patients (81% [95% CI: 67-90]) achieved an mCR before HDC/auto-PBSCT, five had an mPR and five had progressive disease (three were not evaluable). After HDC/auto-PBSCT, four patients with an mPR converted to an mCR. The 2-year PFS was 74% [95% CI: 63-86], and the overall survival 95% [95% CI: 90-100]. Toxicity was manageable and mainly consisted of grade 3/4 hematological toxicity, fever, nephrotoxicity, ototoxicity (grade 1/2) and transiently elevated liver enzymes during BV-DHAP. Eighteen patients developed new onset peripheral neuropathy (maximum grade 1/2) and all recovered. In conclusion, BV-DHAP is a very effective salvage regimen in R/R cHL patients, but patients should be monitored closely for toxicity. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02280993