Feasibility and Safety of Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy in Conjunction With Addiction Treatment for People Who Inject Drugs. (2nd September 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Price, Christin N; Solomon, Daniel A; Johnson, Jennifer A; Montgomery, Mary W; Martin, Bianca; Suzuki, Joji
• Is Part Of: Journal of infectious diseases. Volume 222(2020)Supplement 5
• Page Start: S494
• Page End: S498
• Publication Date: 2020-09-02
• Subjects: bacterial infections -- injection drug use -- opioid use disorder -- outpatient parenteral therapy; Communicable diseases -- Periodicals; Diseases -- Causes and theories of causation -- Periodicals; Medicine -- Periodicals; Communicable Diseases -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 616.9
• DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiaa025
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-1899

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Research is limited on combining outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) with addiction treatment for people who inject drugs (PWID) with serious infections. Methods: This is a retrospective study of PWID (n = 68) requiring intravenous antibiotics evaluated for suitability for our OPAT program with concurrent addiction treatment. Results: Most common infections were bacteremia and/or endocarditis (73.5%), bone and/or joint infections (32.4%), and epidural abscess (22.1%). Of the 20 patients (29.4%) who qualified, 100.0% completed the course of antibiotics, 30.0% experienced a 30-day readmission, and 15.0% relapsed. No overdoses, deaths, or peripherally inserted central catheter-line complications were reported. Conclusions: Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy with addiction treatment may be feasible and safe for PWID with serious infections.