A majority (98 percent) of patients with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis experienced a low incidence of infusion reactions when given infliximab at home, rather than in a hospital setting, according to a study published in Digestive Diseases and Sciences.
For the study, researchers from Coram CVS Speciality Home Infusion Services conducted a retrospective review of 796 patients who received 5,581 infusions from a home provider between January 2014 and November 2016. Researchers looked at the timing, severity, management and outcomes of patients' infusion reactions.
Sixty-two patients experienced a total of 109 infusion reactions during the study period. Most reactions ranged from mild to moderate and resolved with rate or medication adjustments. Only 0.1 percent of patients required an emergency room visit, and 0.3 percent of infusions were not finished due to an infusion reaction.
"Our experience indicates that both acute and delayed infusion reactions to infliximab in the home or ambulatory care setting have a low rate of occurrence," the researchers wrote. "Further, the majority of acute [infusion reactions] were considered to be mild or moderate in severity and resolved with rate adjustments or administration of antihistamines, steroids or acetaminophen."
More articles on clinical leadership and infection control:
HHS declares California wildfires a public health emergency
OB-GYN professor: What hospitals can do to curb maternal deaths
Tick-borne diseases are 'rapidly growing' public health threat, HHS group says