Utility of post-admission SARS-CoV-2 serial testing in hospitalized patients with cancer Journal Article
| Authors: | Usiak, S.; Aslam, A.; Yan, J.; Madhavappallil, J.; Bokhari, M.; Romero, T.; Bubb, T. N.; Kodama, R.; Babady, E.; Kamboj, M. |
| Article Title: | Utility of post-admission SARS-CoV-2 serial testing in hospitalized patients with cancer |
| Abstract: | Background: SARS-CoV-2 asymptomatic surveillance testing (AST) is a common strategy to minimize the risk of nosocomial infection in patients and healthcare personnel. In contrast to admission screening, post-admission AST was less widely adopted. Objective: This study describes the diagnostic yield of post-admission serial SARS-COV-2 testing in hospitalized patients at a large cancer center with mostly double-occupancy rooms. Design: Retrospective cohort study design. Post-admission SARS-CoV-2 tests were examined over a 18 month study period. Positive results were reviewed to determine true hospital-onset infections using a combination criteria of screening all sample cycle threshold (Ct) values >30, results of non-concordant repeat testing, and clinical symptoms. Results: Post-admission serial testing of 15,048 hospitalized patients during an 18-month study period at a tertiary care cancer center detected hospital-onset infection in 1.6% (n = 245 patients). Among all hospital-onset positive SARS-CoV-2 RNA tests, 13% were clinically false positive. Most true infections were mild to moderate in severity. Conclusions: In summary, post-admission serial testing in a high-risk setting is a low-yield strategy with several unfavorable effects and should no longer be routinely applied. © Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 2024. |
| Keywords: | controlled study; major clinical study; reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction; cohort analysis; hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; retrospective study; length of stay; diagnostic value; health care personnel; hospital patient; tertiary health care; hospital infection; bone marrow transplantation; false positive result; secondary infection; human; article; tertiary care center; malignant neoplasm; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; coronavirus disease 2019; covid-19 testing; cycle threshold value |
| Journal Title: | Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology |
| Volume: | 46 |
| Issue: | 1 |
| ISSN: | 0899-823X |
| Publisher: | The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America |
| Date Published: | 2025-01-01 |
| Start Page: | 90 |
| End Page: | 92 |
| Language: | English |
| DOI: | 10.1017/ice.2024.174 |
| PUBMED: | 39624026 |
| PROVIDER: | scopus |
| PMCID: | PMC12184837 |
| DOI/URL: | |
| Notes: | The MSK Cancer Center Support Grant (P30 CA008748) is acknowledge in the PDF -- Corresponding authors is MSK author: Shauna Usiak -- Source: Scopus |
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