Feasibility and safety of outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy in conjunction with addiction treatment for people who inject drugs

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.