Limited role for outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy for community-acquired pneumonia.

Background And Objective: This study examined the potential utility of outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy (OPAT) as a means of reducing the excessive number of patients hospitalized with low-risk community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).

Methods: A prospective feasibility study was conducted, in which a selection algorithm was applied to a cohort of patients admitted with suspected CAP, to identify a group in whom admission may have been prevented by the use of OPAT. Numbers of potentially suitable patients, inpatient bed days saved and frequency of adverse events that may have led to readmission were measured.