At-home IV antibiotics for children with cystic fibrosis: Efficiency, effectiveness, and economics

Affecting 1:2,500 children within the European population, Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a common and lethal genetic disorder. It is a complex disease affecting many organs, but around 85% of the mortality is a result of lung infections. Because of patients’ genetic defects, they are more likely to develop chronic airway infections from several bacterial pathogens, with these bacteria able to establish a chronic presence in the airways due to impaired innate immunity. As a result of these infections, patients’ pulmonary disease worsens over time.

In an effort to slow down the progression of the patients’ lung disease, frequent antibiotic treatment is used to combat chronic infections. Various routes of delivery are used in treatment, including oral and inhaled antibiotics, but often intravenous (IV) antibiotic treatment is needed, especially in the treatment of more robust pathogens like Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PsA). The challenge is that IV antibiotic treatment in the hospital is time-consuming, demanding, and expensive, with treatment often taking place over a period of at least two weeks.

To ease this burden on patients, home infusion has been introduced as an alternative site of care over the last few decades, with several countries reporting better patient outcomes in these settings since the 1980s. Reports include positive results in patient quality of life, economic impact, and treatment outcomes.

In a 2016 study published in Hippokratika, researchers in Greece studied the outcomes of home infusion vs. hospital infusion specifically in children with CF. In the study, children that were chronically colonized with PsA were given IV antibiotics over the course of two weeks, either in the hospital or in the home.

After the study, the researchers looked at patients’ quality of life, treatment effectiveness, and financial outcomes. Researchers found that hospital treatment did not provide a better clinical outcome compared to home treatment, indicating that infusions provided in the home are equally effective as infusions provided in the hospital, with patients treated at home not reporting any significant side effects or complications. Additionally, when looking at patients Quality of Life scores, there were statistically significant improvements in all quality-of-life domains, while patients in the hospital group only reported significant improvements in physical and impact domains. Finally, the researchers found that the cost of home IV therapy was significantly lower than the cost of treatment in the hospital (2100€ vs 3360€, respectively.)

The outcome of this study indicates that home infusions can provide a safe and clinically effective way to treat pediatric CF patients, while improving quality of life and reducing overall healthcare costs.

As the industry leader in home infusion technology, the CURLIN 6000 by Moog provides patients the freedom and flexibility of receiving their infusions at home. Its unique design ensures that the medication is delivered precisely as prescribed. Learn more about CURLIN’s unique design and how it can impact patient care.