Vancomycin Linked To Higher Rate Of Major Device Complications In Patients Discharged With Midline Catheters For OPAT, Study Finds

MedPage Today (7/23, Ingram) reports, “Vancomycin was associated with a higher rate of major device complications in patients discharged with midline catheters for outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT), a retrospective multicenter study found.” Researchers found that “among more than 3,000” patients receiving OPAT, “major complications occurred in 4.5% of those receiving vancomycin-based antimicrobial therapy versus 0.8% for those receiving non-vancomycin-based antimicrobial treatment.” According to MedPage Today, “this included an eightfold higher risk of catheter-related bloodstream infection...and a threefold higher risk of catheter-related venous thromboembolism.” The findings were published in JAMA Internal Medicine.