Safety of Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy in Nonagenarians

BACKGROUND: Although widely accepted for adults, the safety of outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) in very old patients has not been examined. METHODS: Nonagenarians (age ≥90 years) discharged from the hospital on OPAT over a 5-year period were identified from the Cleveland Clinic OPAT Registry. Three matched controls (<90 years) were selected for each nonagenarian. Times to OPAT-related emergency department (ED) visit and OPAT-related readmission were compared across the 2 groups in multivariable subdistribution proportional hazards competing risks regression models. Incidence of adverse drug events and vascular access complications were compared using negative binomial regression. RESULTS: Of 126 nonagenarians and 378 controls, 7 were excluded for various reasons. Among the remaining 497 subjects, 306 (62%) were male, 311 (63%) were treated for cardiovascular or osteoarticular infections, and 363 (73%) were discharged to a residential health care facility. The mean (SD) ages of nonagenarians and controls were 92 (2) and 62 (16) years, respectively. Compared with matched controls, being a nonagenarian was not associated with increased risk of OPAT-related ED visit (hazard ratio [HR], 0.77; 95% CI, 0.33–1.80; P = .55), OPAT-related readmission (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.28–2.16; P = .63), adverse drug event from OPAT medications (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 1.00; 95% CI, 0.43–2.17; P = .99), or vascular access complications (IRR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.27–1.51; P = .32). Nonagenarians had a higher risk of death overall (HR, 2.64; 95% CI, 1.52–4.58; P < .001), but deaths were not from OPAT complications. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with younger patients, OPAT in nonagenarians is not associated with higher risk of OPAT-related complications. OPAT can be provided as safely to nonagenarians as to younger patients.