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Characteristics of hospitalizations among patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors at a community teaching hospital

Purpose As immune checkpoint inhibitors continue to acquire new indications, it is important to understand the impact their use has on patients. This study adds to current literature by presenting an analysis of hospitalizations in this population. The primary objective was to assess the reasons for an emergency department visit or hospital admission in patients who receive immune checkpoint inhibitors. Secondary objectives included identifying the frequency of suspected or confirmed immune related adverse events, types of immune related adverse events, number of preventable admissions, duration of immunotherapy, and length of stay. Methods This study was a retrospective, multi-center, chart review of patients hospitalized after receiving an immune checkpoint inhibitor. The population included patients aged 18 and above who received at least one dose of an immune checkpoint inhibitor at a network facility and had a documented admission within one year following the initiation of immunotherapy. Descriptive statistics were performed along with inferential comparisons and a Poisson regression to determine if the immune checkpoint blocker or cancer type predicted admission or reason for admission. Results The 99 patients who met inclusion criteria had a total of 202 admissions. Of these patients, 56 (56.6%) had multiple admissions within the year following initiation of immunotherapy. The most common diagnoses on initial admissions were shortness of breath, pain, and pneumonia. A total of 104 admissions (51.5%) were considered potentially preventable. Suspected or confirmed immune related adverse events were identified in 15.6% of all admissions. There were no significant predictors of admissions or reason for admission. Conclusion Reasons for admission in the study population were comparable to those identified in the general cancer population, with immune related adverse events being associated with a minority of both total and potentially preventable admissions.