Osteomyelitis: intravenous or oral

February 12, 2009

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Intravenous literature: When treating hospitalized children with acute osteomyelitis — a bacterial bone infection — an early changeover from intravenous (IV) antibiotic delivery to oral antibiotics is just as effective as continuing the IV therapy, according to pediatric researchers.

In addition, the oral drugs are more convenient for children and families, and avoid a major drawback of IV use: increased risk of complications from using central catheters, such as infections or breaks in the catheter.

A study team from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia analyzed hospital records for nearly 2,000 children treated at 29 U.S. pediatric hospitals between 2000 and 2005. Their report appeared in the February issue of Pediatrics. “There had been previous reports with small numbers of patients suggesting that early transition to oral antibiotics was safe and effective,” said study leader Theoklis Zaoutis, MD, MSCE, an infectious diseases specialist at the Center for Pediatric Clinical Effectiveness of Children’s Hospital. “This was the first large study of outcomes to directly compare the two practices.”

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