Factors associated with successful completion of outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy in an area with a high prevalence of multidrug-resistant bacteria: 30-day hospital admission and mortality rates

OBJECTIVES: To identify factors associated with hospital admission and mortality within the first 30 days after enrolment in an outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) program, also analysing adequacy of the treatment regimen and clinical outcomes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted between October 2016 and June 2017 in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Variables related to hospital admission and mortality were subjected to bivariate analysis, and those with a P<0.05 were subjected to multivariate analysis as risk factors. RESULTS: We evaluated 276 patients, of whom 80.5% were ≥60 years of age and 69.9% had more than one comorbidity. Of the patients evaluated, 41.3% had pneumonia and 35.1% had a urinary tract infection. The most common etiological agent, isolated in 18 (31.6%) cases, was Klebsiella pneumoniae, and 13 (72,2%) strains were carbapenem resistant. The OPAT was in accordance with the culture results in 76.6% of the cases and with the institutional protocols in 76.4%. The majority (64.5%) of the patients were not admitted, and a cure or clinical improvement was achieved in 78.6%. Multivariate analysis showed that, within the first 30 days after enrolment, the absence of a physician office visit was a predictor of hospital admission (P<0.001) and mortality (P = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated the viability of OPAT in elderly patients with pulmonary or urinary tract infections in an area with a high prevalence of multidrug-resistant bacteria and that a post-discharge physician office visit is protective against hospital admission and mortality.