Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Vancomycin Continuous Infusion in Patients Treated at Home in an Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy Program

Abstract

Vancomycin is commonly used in outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) of Gram-positive infections. Therapeutic drug monitoring and adverse event monitoring pose a challenge. Outcome data of vancomycin in OPAT (vOPAT) are limited. The study aim was to report the safety and efficacy of a structured vOPAT program implemented in the University Hospitals Leuven. The program provides continuous elastomeric infusion of vancomycin at home with biweekly follow-up at the outpatient clinic. Demographics, clinical, biochemical and treatment parameters, target attainment parameters and clinical outcomes were recorded. An e-survey was conducted to assess patient satisfaction. Thirty-five vOPAT episodes in 32 patients were included. During 206 follow-up consultations, 203 plasma concentration measurements were registered with a median vancomycin plasma concentration of 22.5 mg/L (range 6.6–32.0). The majority of concentrations (68.5%) were within the therapeutic range (20.0–25.0 mg/L). Adverse event rates, including drug- (5.7%) and catheter-related (5.7%) events, were low. For 32 vOPAT episodes, a clinical cure rate of 100% was observed. All patients who completed the e-survey were satisfied with their vOPAT course. These findings show that a structured vOPAT program with rigorous follow-up provides safe and effective ambulatory treatment of patients with vancomycin in continuous infusion.