Intravenous antibiotics are needed in patients:
- If patients have not responded to oral antibiotics
- If patients are very unwell and require a hospital admission
- If there is not an oral antibiotic available to treat the bacteria causing the infection
- Some IV antibiotic courses require treatment in hospital for 7-14 days to ensure that the infection has cleared. However, some patients may be suitable for IV antibiotic treatment as an outpatient (at home or with daily visits to OPAT)
Home IV Service – self administration
Some patients are able to be taught to administer IV antibiotics at home. If this is appropriate for you the respiratory nurse specialist (RNS) team will train you or your relations or carers to do this. You will need to have a midline (a specialist cannula) inserted for the antibiotics to go through which will stay in for the duration of treatment.
There are videos below which you can use as a reminder.
During treatment, regular clinic visits and blood tests and midline checks are required to ensure that the treatment is working and there are no significant side effects.
Out- Patient IV Antibiotic Therapy(OPAT)
Depending on the antibiotic prescribed and the local services available, you may be able to attend an outpatient clinic or have a nurse visit your home to administer the IV antibiotic.
Out-patient IV antibiotic Therapy (OPAT) at WGH and St Johns can offer an Out-Patient IV service for suitable patients. In some cases when the antibiotic is given once a day the patient can attend OPAT daily for administration of the antibiotic.
Download a copy of the Intravenous antibiotic treatment at homeIV Antibiotic Treatment at Home – Bronchiectasis v2.0
Download a copy of How to self administer Intravenous antibiotics using a midline catheterHow to self-administer IV antibiotics using a midline catheter v2.0
