Intravenous antibiotics at home with a portable pump: effective, safe and far cheaper

What is it about?

Some infections need weeks of intravenous antibiotics, which traditionally means a long hospital stay. Elastomeric pumps are small, disposable, balloon-like devices that deliver the antibiotic continuously through a vein while the patient lives at home (outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy, OPAT). We reviewed six years of experience (2019-2024) at the Trieste University Hospital with 76 adults treated this way, for a total of almost 2,000 days of home therapy. Most had skin and surgical wound infections, complicated urinary infections or bone and joint infections, often caused by resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Infections were cured in 85% of patients. Side effects occurred in about 14% of treatments, mostly related to the venous line. More than 8 in 10 patients said they would use the pump again, and costs were 92% lower than hospital care, saving over 700,000 euros.

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Photo by Dominik Lange on Unsplash

Photo by Dominik Lange on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Hospital beds are scarce and long admissions expose patients to hospital-acquired infections and loss of independence. This real-world study shows that home antibiotic therapy with elastomeric pumps is effective, well tolerated, appreciated by patients and dramatically cheaper. It supports the wider adoption of OPAT programmes integrated with antimicrobial stewardship in Italy, where they are still underused.

Perspectives