Decrease in SinglePlex Viral PCRs Use and acyclovir utilization following implementation of The BioFire Meningitis/Encephalitis Panel at A Tertiary Care Cancer Center Journal Article
| Authors: | McMillen, T.; Powell, E.; Jani, K.; Scipione, M. R.; Seo, S. K.; Babady, N. E. |
| Article Title: | Decrease in SinglePlex Viral PCRs Use and acyclovir utilization following implementation of The BioFire Meningitis/Encephalitis Panel at A Tertiary Care Cancer Center |
| Abstract: | Purpose: Meningitis and encephalitis are medical emergencies requiring prompt intervention. The BioFire Meningitis/Encephalitis (M/E) panel (BioFire® Diagnostics, Salt Lake City, UT) is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the detection of 14 pathogens directly on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Impact of the M/E panel on antiviral and viral tests use has been evaluated in a several patient populations but data in cancer patients remain limited. In this study, we evaluated the impact of the M/E panel within a year of its implementation on both acyclovir and singleplex viral PCR test utilization in a cancer patient population. Methods: This was a pre- and post-intervention study. Data from patients tested in the year prior to the intervention and one year following the intervention were extracted from the laboratory and clinical information systems. Results: A total of 476 patients (207 pre-intervention and 269 post-intervention) were tested during the study period. In the post-intervention period, the number of targeted viral tests was reduced by 64.9 % (703 to 247 PCRs), and the total number of patients treated with acyclovir was reduced by 29.1 % (82 patients vs 45 patients) with a reduction in the duration of therapy from 7.33 days to 4.47 days in the post-intervention period (p < 0.0274). Conclusion: The implementation of the M/E panel contributed to a reduction in the number of singleplex PCR tests performed and a reduction in the utilization and duration of acyclovir therapy in our cancer patient population. © 2025 The Author(s) |
| Keywords: | adult; child; school child; middle aged; major clinical study; treatment duration; cancer patient; aciclovir; retrospective study; intervention study; cancer center; encephalitis; meningitis; cytomegalovirus; virus detection; acyclovir; herpes simplex virus 2; varicella zoster virus; multiplex pcr; multiplex polymerase chain reaction; enterovirus; cancer; human; male; female; article; human herpesvirus 6; tertiary care center; malignant neoplasm; human alphaherpesvirus 1; rapid diagnostic tests; singleplex polymerase chain reaction |
| Journal Title: | Journal of Clinical Virology Plus |
| Volume: | 5 |
| Issue: | 3 |
| ISSN: | 26670380 |
| Publisher: | The Author(s) |
| Date Published: | 2025-01-01 |
| Start Page: | 100221 |
| Language: | English |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jcvp.2025.100221 |
| PROVIDER: | scopus |
| DOI/URL: | |
| Notes: | Article -- Source: Scopus |
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