Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy (OPAT) in the United States: Delivery Models and Indications for Use

The use of intravenous (IV) antibiotic therapy outside hospitals was first reported in the literature in the United States in 1974 (1). What started out with a few children treated with outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) for recurrent episodes of pneumonia related to cystic fibrosis grew rapidly to the point where now at least 250,000 patients are treated with OPAT each year in the United States (2). This growth has been brought about by a variety of factors including cost savings, improved technology, long acting antibiotics, patient preference and the leadership of health care professionals. Each community has developed its own systems for providing OPAT, with a variety of providers as well as delivery models. The success of OPAT continues, with a growth rate of 15% to 20% each year, which will likely continue into the near future (2).