[Treatment of gram negative bacilli bacteremia with intramuscular ceftriaxone in home care]

Bacteremias by gram negative bacilli (BGNB) are serious diseases which normally require hospital admission. In accordance with the pharmacokinetic characteristics of ceftriaxone, the possibility of treating such processes with home care (HC) and the existence of advantages for both the patient and the hospital were evaluated.

Twenty patients were prospectively studied. Upon obtaining clinical stability in the hospital the possibility of following home care (HC) treatment was evaluated. Ceftriaxone was administrated at intramuscular doses of 1g/24 h. The clinical and bacteriologic response, patient satisfaction and treatment time were estimated.

The origin of the bacteremia was varied as was the type of gram negative bacilli responsible. All the patients evolved favorably with no relevant secondary effects. The mean length of treatment was 12.75 days per patient. The antibiotic was mainly administered at home (83%), permitting a mean reduction of 10.5 hospital stays per patient. The social and psychologic advantages for the patients were evident.

This study confirms the possibility of treating stable phase gram negative bacilli bacteremias at home efficiently with the supervision of home care teams leading to a substantial reduction in hospital expenses and patient satisfaction.