OPAT for cellulitis: its benefits and the factors that predispose to longer treatment

This retrospective study investigated the demographics and treatment outcomes of patients with cellulitis receiving outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy (OPAT) between 2010 and 2014 in Cambridge University Hospitals. The rate of treatment failure (as indicated by the readmission to hospital) was low, at 5.5%. Risk factors associated with a longer duration of OPAT treatment included: immunosuppression, peripheral vascular disease, obesity, lymphoedema, previous cellulitis and diabetes.