Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
Infective endocarditis (IE) requires long courses of intravenous (IV) antibiotics. Outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy (OPAT) saves resources, improves the patient experience and allows care in their preferred place; however, questions remain about safety when treating IE patients. This study evaluates OPAT management of IE patients in our region between 2006 and 2019. This is a retrospective observational evaluation and description of outcomes and adherence to suitability criteria, according to British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC) guidelines. We identified five models of OPAT delivery. The number of patients treated expanded significantly over time. Of 101 patients, 6 (6%) suffered poor outcomes, but each patient had contributing factors outside of the primary infection. Median OPAT duration was 12 days and 1489 hospital bed days were saved. In a setting where there was good adherence to BSAC criteria, treating IE patients using OPAT services was safe. Complications observed were likely independent of treatment location. Significant bed days were saved.
Schwiebert et al. (Sun,) studied this question.