Outpatient Oral Antibiotic Therapy for Bacteremia Appears Feasible and Safe

Febrile illnesses commonly cause adult visits to the emergency department (ED), and the identification of positive blood cultures after discharge home often results in hospital admission for parenteral antibiotics. In a retrospective observational study at one center in Spain, researchers evaluated the safety of oral antibiotic therapy in ambulatory patients with bloodstream infections identified after ED discharge. Criteria for outpatient management included early responses to prescribed treatment on discharge; use of antibiotic therapy based on available microbiology; no need for source control; and no immunosuppression. Staphylococcus aureus and Candida spp. infections were excluded.

Of 123 patients with bacteremia identified after ED dis…