Background Patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant often suffer from a predictable constellation of side effects related to therapy. Nonpharmacologic treatments for these side effects are attractive adjuncts to therapy due to a low side-effect profile. Objective To develop, implement, and evaluate a pilot program of massage therapy for symptom management in adult patients with hematologic malignancies admitted to the bone marrow transplant (BMT) service at a large academic medical center. Methods A single-arm feasibility study of massage therapy was conducted. Pre- and postintervention surveys were collected to assess the usefulness in management of 7 symptoms. Results Over an 11.5-month period, 109 patients received 142 massage treatments. one in five patients received more than one massage. We received surveys on 134 massage treatments. Patients reported significant reductions in anxiety, distress, fatigue, pain, and tension ( P < .01) and improved sleep as a result of massage therapy. Conclusion Based on this pilot, massage therapy is a feasible and safe intervention to administer during BMT hospitalizations. It proved useful in managing a constellation of 5 side effects including, anxiety, distress, fatigue, pain, and tension.

Objectives: To evaluate the safety of antimotility agents (AAs) in a population of patients with hematologic malignancies and concurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) and to describe the outcomes of AA use in a hospital setting. Patients and Methods: We used the electronic health record to identify patients who were hospitalized in the adult malignant hematology service who had 1 or more toxin-positive C difficile stool assay between April 1, 2012, and September 21, 2017. We reviewed medical charts to obtain information on the use of AAs and any subsequent gastrointestinal complications. Results: There were 339 patients who were stool toxin positive for CDI during the study period. Of those, 94 patients (27%) were prescribed AAs within 14 days of CDI diagnosis. All patients received CDI antimicrobial therapy within the first 24 hours. There were 2 adverse gastrointestinal events in the group that received AAs and 6 in the group that did not receive AAs. The risk of adverse events did not differ between patients who received AAs and those who did not (adjusted odds ratio, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.06 to 2.10). The mean age of the full cohort was 52.7AE15.5 years, and the mean length of stay was 26.7AE22.6 days. Early AA use (<48 hours of diagnosis) was not associated with increased adverse effects. Conclusion: There was no increase in the incidence of gastrointestinal events in the arm that used AAs compared with the control arm. The evidence suggests that for patients with hematologic malignancies and CDI, the addition of AAs to appropriate antimicrobial therapy poses no additional risk.

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