Reduction in Transplantation Activity without Impairment in Outcomes in the Covid-19 Era- Data from the Sarah Cannon Blood Cancer Network (SCBCN)

Background The Covid-19 pandemic has profoundly disrupted healthcare operations for vulnerable transplant and cell therapy patients. The Sarah Cannon Blood Cancer Network (SCBCN) comprises six Healthcare Corporation of America hospitals that have been certified based upon defined metrics of infrastructure, staffing, processes and volume. The SCBCN actively coordinated a response by integrating information from the framework of federal, state, network, hospital and individual transplant programs. Dynamic standards were developed taking into account operational aspects (such as PPE conservation, staffing, isolation policy, etc.), external regulations, and input from professional societies in order to balance the needs for life-saving therapy while reducing the likelihood of adverse consequences. In this study, we describe the impact of the Covid-19 across our network on transplant and cell therapy activity as well as the outcomes of the patients who were treated. Methods Data was integrated from electronic health records and a center survey questionnaire. The period of observation (defined as Covid era) was from March 15, 2020 to June 15th, 2020 to allow sufficient time for analysis of early outcomes. Transplant and cell therapy data from the prior 12 months was used as a comparator. Results: Within the SCBCN there was a decrease in overall transplant and cell therapy activity in the Covid era. Autologous transplantation was mainly diminished, particularly in the first 2 months. There was no significant impact on allogeneic or CAR-T therapy volumes. For allogeneic transplantation, there was a modest reduction in marrow grafts (11% to 8%) and a significant increase in cryopreservation (16% to 79%, P