Early Transition to Oral Antibiotics after Hospitalization for Serious Infection

Landmark trials have established the efficacy of early transition from intravenous (IV) to oral antibiotics for many challenging infections (Figure 1). But unlike outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) programs, complex outpatient antimicrobial with oral agent (COpAT) programs have not been widely adopted. To provide further evidence, researchers conducted a pragmatic trial across five hospitals, randomizing adults needing at least 2 weeks of antibiotics after discharge for serious infections (other than central nervous system infections) to receive early transition to oral therapy or continued IV therapy. The early-oral group received a high-bioavailability antibiotic regimen beginning at randomization or, in patients wi…