TREATMENT OF SKIN AND SOFT-TISSUE INFECTIONS UTILIZING AN OUTPATIENT PARENTERAL DRUG-DELIVERY DEVICE - A MULTICENTER TRIAL

The purpose of this study was to examine the safety and efficacy of ou tpatient intravenous antibiotic therapy for skin and soft-tissue infec tions and determine its effect on length of hospital stay. In this ope n-label, multicenter, prospective study, 130 adult patients with skin and soft-tissue infections requiring parenteral antibiotic therapy wer e enrolled as a subgroup. Initial therapy was delivered to hospital in patients or in outpatient treatment centers, followed by home infusion therapy. Cefotaxime was delivered intravenously using a programmable ambulatory infusion pump. The clinical response rate was 97.5% (n = 11 8), while the bacteriologic response rate was 94.0% (n = 83). Only 32. 2% of patients required hospitalization, and the mean duration of inpa tient care for all evaluable patients was only 1.5 days. The mean dura tion of hospitalization for patients receiving inpatient care was 4.7 days. In conclusion, home intravenous cefotaxime therapy is safe, effe ctive, and may reduce healthcare costs for many patients with skin and soft-tissue infections.