Ambulatory parenteral antimicrobial therapies. Five-year experience

INTRODUCTION. To report the five-year experience in ambulatory parenteral antimicrobial treatments of a Hospital at Home (HH). METHODS. Prospective, descriptive study in which demographic data, infection types, antibiotics, dosages, treatment duration, administration methods, and complications were recorded. RESULTS. A total of 325 ambulatory parenteral antibiotic treatments were instituted. The mean age of patients was 56 years (range: 4-96). Patients included 225 men and 100 women. The mean duration of treatment was 16 days (range: 1-176 days). The total number of stays was 4,313 days. The sources of the treated infections included: respiratory tract, 40.3%; osteoarticular, 13.2%; digestive tract, 7%; cytomegalovirus, 6.4%; soft tissue, 5.5%; bacteremias, 5,2%; central nervous system, 4.9%; urinary tract, 4.6%; febrile syndromes, 3.7%; postsurgical, 3%; and endocarditis, 2.5%. Ceftriaxone was the antibiotic most widely used. Seventy-nine percent of treatments were throught the intravenous route. In the last two years infusion pumps were used. Treatment was completed in 93.3% of cases, three patients died and 19 patients required readmission. The most common complication was phlebitis, in 12.6% of cases. CONCLUSIONS. Currently, there is the possibility of safely treating a large number of infections at patient's home with parenteral antibiotics.