Outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy

Outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy
Other namesOPAT

Outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy (OPAT) is used to administer non-oral antibiotics (usually intravenously) without the need for ongoing hospitalisation. OPAT is particularly useful for people who are not severely ill but do require a prolonged course of treatment that cannot be given in oral form.[1] OPAT is being increasingly adopted as part of antimicrobial stewardship programs; it can reduce length of stay, costs and adverse events while improving quality of life.[2] OPAT can be administered in an outpatient facility (including a provider's office, infusion center or day hospital) or at a patient's residence using an infusion pump, such as an elastomeric pump.[3][4]

  1. ^ Chapman, A. L. N. (26 March 2013). "Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy". BMJ. 346 (mar26 1): f1585. doi:10.1136/bmj.f1585. PMID 23532865. S2CID 38761363.
  2. ^ Voumard, Rachel; Gardiol, Céline; André, Pascal; Arensdorff, Lyne; Cochet, Camille; Boillat-Blanco, Noémie; Decosterd, Laurent; Buclin, Thierry; de Vallière, Serge (2018-09-01). "Efficacy and safety of continuous infusions with elastomeric pumps for outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT): an observational study". Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. 73 (9): 2540–2545. doi:10.1093/jac/dky224. ISSN 0305-7453. PMID 29982449.
  3. ^ Docherty T, Schneider JJ, Cooper J (December 2020). "Clinic- and Hospital-Based Home Care, Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) and the Evolving Clinical Responsibilities of the Pharmacist". Pharmacy. 8 (4): 233. doi:10.3390/pharmacy8040233. PMC 7768382. PMID 33297356.
  4. ^ Spencer-Jones J, Luxton T, Bond SE, Sandoe J (August 2023). "Feasibility, Effectiveness and Safety of Elastomeric Pumps for Delivery of Antibiotics to Adult Hospital Inpatients-A Systematic Review". Antibiotics. 12 (9): 1351. doi:10.3390/antibiotics12091351. PMC 10525832. PMID 37760648. Elastomeric infusion pumps (EMPs) have been implemented in many fields, including analgesia, chemotherapy and cardiology. Their application in antimicrobials is mainly limited to the outpatient setting, but with a need to optimise inpatient antimicrobial treatment, the use of EMPs presents a potential option.