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The Infusion B APRN team includes Asjia Johnson, Teresa Smith, Marisa Yingling, Sarah Howell, Tammy Burr, Eric Ajoku, and APRN Coordinator Tanika Pittman.
Image by Nathan Tidwell
Infusion B: A Welcoming Setting for Blood Cancer Patients
| Five years after its opening, Infusion B at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute continues to play a vital role in the transformational care that blood cancer patients receive at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).
The state-of-the-art center, which opened in late 2020 on the institute’s sixth floor, sees patients with such blood cancers as leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma, as well as those participating in clinical trials.
Infusion A is available on the fourth floor for patients who need infusion treatment for other conditions.
“Infusion B is a critical component in the treatment plan for many blood cancer patients at UAMS,” said Myeloma Center clinical director Frits van Rhee, M.D., Ph.D. “As we continue to expand our use of novel immunotherapies, patients have a place where they can be comfortable, and our staff can do their best for them.”
Myeloma patient Ed McSpadden relaxes during a treatment session.Image by Nathan Tidwell
The center, which is open seven days per week, accommodates up to 50 patients.
Infusion B also is the home of Arkansas’ only academic Phase 1 Cancer Clinical Trial Unit, which began operation in July 2021.
“We’ve had more than 30 industry-sponsored and investigator-initiated clinical trials with more than 80 enrolled participants within the Phase 1 Unit,” said Matthew Kovak, director of the Cancer Institute’s Cancer Clinical Trials Office. “Phase I clinical trials are the first to involve human participants and almost every cancer treatment offered to patients today has come about because of a clinical trial.”
Many of those seen in Infusion B are multiple myeloma patients.
“We average more than 3,500 visits per month,” said associate chief clinical informatics officer Tiffany Hall, MNsc. “Approximately 800 unique patients come through Infusion B monthly, and around 700 of those are being treated for multiple myeloma.”
Infusion B represents the continuing evolution of cancer treatment at UAMS.
“We did this work for about 10 years on the fourth floor where Infusion A is now,” said Tammy Burr, APRN. “Going further back, we saw outpatients on the first floor of the Cancer Institute, where the Gathering Place Café is now located.”
UAMS’ focus on immunotherapies such as autologous stem cell transplants, bispecific antibodies and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy needs a space like Infusion B to be effective.
“The majority of our CAR T-cell treatments and transplants have transitioned to the outpatient setting,” said Anup Trikannad, M.D., a Myeloma Center hospitalist. “The features offered in Infusion B, along with the fantastic staff, allows us to do this and it is better for our patients.”