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    Nursing and Allied Health Symposium

    Category: Nursing & Allied Health Symposium

    Strategies for a Successful Transition to Short infusion Isatuximab for Patients with Multiple Myeloma

    (NSP-13) Strategies for a Successful Transition to Short Infusion Isatuximab for Patients with Multiple Myeloma

    Thursday, September 18, 2025
    Introduction: Transitioning to a shorter infusion schedule represents an opportunity to enhance patient care by reducing patient time at the hospital. Strategies to safely reduce chair time can positively impact appointment wait times. Changes to existing protocols require involvement of the multidisciplinary team (MDT). Informing key stakeholders ahead of time can help facilitate a smooth and efficient transition. This study aims to describe the logistical considerations used for an efficient transition to short infusion IV isatuximab and evaluate the incidence of infusion related reactions (IRR) with the short infusion rate.

    Methods:

    The MDT of hematology pharmacist, hematologist, and nurse educator met in Spring 2024 to plan the logistics to transition to short infusion IV isatuximab. Sept 3, 2025 was chosen as the go-live date. During summer months hematology pharmacists cut over orders for existing patients. The MDT used various strategies (patient clinic visits, support group meetings, chart messages) to notify patients of the upcoming change.
    The pharmacists updated orders for existing patients and notified the physician to review and sign. Pharmacists updated the master treatment plans templates in the computer system and infusion rates in the IV pump library. The nurse educator reviewed changes in premedications and infusion rates. They assessed updated chair times for pressure points and workflow. The pharmacy technician assessed workflow changes of shorter chair times. All stakeholders were encouraged to provide feedback.
    A retrospective descriptive cohort study was completed. Patients with multiple myeloma receiving an isatuximab containing regimens (IsaCarfDex, IsaPomDex) in the ambulatory chemotherapy unit from Sept 3, 2024 to Jan 31, 2025 were included in data collection and analysis.
    Outcomes to measure include    d: the number patients receiving a short infusion of IV isatuximab, the number of infusion related reactions (IRR) that occurred while receiving the short infusion rate, the number of patients receiving the short infusion rate at time of study closure.      


    Results: Twenty-seven patients received short infusion IV isatuximab during the study period. No patient experienced an infusion-related reaction while receiving the short infusion rate during the study period. At time of study closure, 22 patients were actively receiving isatuximab as a short infusion.

    Conclusions: Transition to short infusion isatuximab represents an improvement in efficiencies in healthcare resources. By addressing logistical factors including patient selection, cutover of existing plan modifications, go-live date selection, staff education, and patient awareness, modifications to existing regimens can be launched efficiently. Future direction includes: earlier use of the 30-minute infusion and removing ongoing pre-medications if no IRR. Hematology pharmacists are well-situated to navigate smooth and successful transitions in therapy modifications to benefit patients and optimize healthcare resources.