title: Ambulatory use of parenteral antibacterials: contemporary perspectives.
abstract: Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) offers increased patient comfort and convenience in appropriately selected patients who require parenteral antibacterial therapy, as well as opportunity for cost savings. Home-based programmes, with drugs being administered by the patient or the caregiver, have become the norm in the USA. Choice of drugs for OPAT is based on antimicrobial spectrum, dosage regimen, drug stability, toxicity profile, and cost. Over the past decade, availability of sophisticated programmable pumps has allowed a wider range of antimicrobial agents to be used in the ambulatory setting. The most popular antibacterial agents in OPAT programmes in the USA are vancomycin and beta-lactams.
authors.affiliation: Providence Portland Medical Center, Oregon Health Sciences University, USA. jleggett@providence.org
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Leggett
mesh_terms: D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000639:trends*; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018718:Home Infusion Therapy; D006801:Humans; D007263:Infusions, Parenteral
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents