Outpatient antibiotic drips (OPAT)

What is outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy (OPAT)?

Outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy, or OPAT, means receiving antibiotics through a vein (a drip) without being admitted to hospital. 'Parenteral' simply means the medicine goes into the body other than by mouth - here, into a vein. It is used for infections that are too serious for tablets alone but stable enough to be managed out of hospital.

The antibiotics are given through a thin tube placed in a vein. This might be a small cannula in the back of the hand or arm for short courses, a 'midline' in the upper arm, or a longer line called a PICC that sits in a larger vein for longer courses. Doses may be given by a nurse at home or in a clinic, or you may be taught to give them yourself.

OPAT is run by a team that usually includes an infection specialist, a specialist nurse and a pharmacist. They choose who is suitable, plan the antibiotics, arrange regular blood tests to check the treatment is working and safe, and look after the line.

OPAT can let you recover at home, return to more normal life sooner and avoid hospital-acquired problems. It is not suitable for everyone or every infection, and it relies on careful selection, good line care, and finishing the full course.

Types, options & approaches

There may be different ways to do this. The right approach depends on the clinical question and your circumstances.

OPAT at home vs staying in hospital

OPAT suits stable, carefully selected people. If you are very unwell, unstable, or cannot manage line care and monitoring, hospital treatment is safer. Your team decides with you.

Preparing for your treatment

• Expect an assessment of whether OPAT is safe for you, including your infection, other health conditions and home situation.
• Tell the team about all medicines, allergies (especially to antibiotics) and any previous line problems or clots.
• Discuss your home set-up: somewhere clean to give doses, a fridge for some medicines, and how you will keep the line dry.
• Arrange how doses will be given - by a nurse, in a clinic, or by you or a carer after training.
• Make sure you understand the plan for blood-test monitoring and follow-up.
• Ask who to contact, day and night, if there is a problem with the line or you feel unwell.

What happens

First, the OPAT team checks that your infection and circumstances make home treatment safe. A suitable line is then placed - often a cannula, midline or PICC - usually under local anaesthetic, sometimes guided by ultrasound to make it safer and more comfortable.

Each dose of antibiotic is given through the line, either by a nurse, in a clinic, or by you or a carer after training. Some antibiotics go in over a few minutes; others run slowly through a small pump over the day. You are shown how to keep the line clean and dry and how to spot problems.

Regular blood tests, usually at least weekly, check that the infection is improving and that the antibiotics are not harming the kidneys, liver or blood counts. The team reviews you, adjusts treatment if needed, and arranges removal of the line when the course is complete.

Is this treatment right for me?

A good consultation should explore whether it's the right choice for you now — including reasons to wait or consider something else.

Before you decide

Use this as a shared-decision checklist. The aim is not just “can this be done?”, but whether it is right for you, now, with the risks and alternatives clearly understood.

Comfort, sedation or contrast choices

If local anaesthetic, sedation, contrast or pain relief is used, ask what is planned, why, and what it means afterwards.

Most OPAT problems relate to the line (blockage, clot or infection) or to antibiotic side effects, which is why line care and regular blood tests matter so much. Adverse events are most common in the first few weeks of treatment. Make sure you know how to look after the line, what side effects to watch for, and exactly who to call - at any hour - if something goes wrong.

Published figures to discuss

OPAT is generally safe in selected people, but the figures below come from large UK and international service reports and will vary with the antibiotic used, the type of line, the length of treatment and individual health. Adverse events are most likely in the first 2-4 weeks. These ranges describe services overall and are not a prediction for any one person.

These are literature figures, not a personalised prediction. Your own risks and likely benefits depend on your circumstances, your health, and how your care is carried out and followed up.

What happens afterwards

OPAT is the treatment itself rather than something you recover from. What matters afterwards is that the infection responds, the line is cared for throughout, and the full course is completed before the line is removed.

• A small, slightly tender entry site where the line sits, which should stay clean and dry
• Gradual improvement in the infection over days to weeks
• Mild antibiotic side effects such as nausea or loose stools
• The routine of regular doses, dressing changes and weekly blood tests
• Some tiredness while recovering from the underlying infection

Aftercare

• Keep the line clean and dry, and cover it as instructed when washing or showering.
• Give or receive every dose on time, and complete the full course even when you feel better.
• Watch the entry site for redness, swelling, pain, warmth or discharge, and report these promptly.
• Attend all monitoring blood tests so the antibiotics' effect and safety are checked.
• Report side effects such as severe diarrhoea, rash or feeling unwell rather than stopping treatment yourself.
• Store and handle the medicines and equipment exactly as advised, including any that need a fridge.
• Keep emergency contact details to hand at all times.
• Make sure you know what will happen when the line is removed and what follow-up is planned.

• A clean, suitable space at home to give doses
• Fridge space if any medicines need it
• Waterproof covering to keep the line dry when washing
• A written dose schedule and blood-test dates
• Line-care instructions and spare dressings/supplies
• Training completed if you or a carer will give doses
• A 24-hour emergency contact number for the OPAT team

Scars and how they heal

The drip line is placed in a vein, usually under local anaesthetic. A small cannula in the hand or arm leaves only a tiny needle mark. A midline or a PICC in the upper arm leaves a small entry site, often with a dressing and a securing device, which should be kept clean and dry; ultrasound is often used to place these comfortably. After the line is removed at the end of treatment, the entry site usually heals quickly, sometimes leaving a small mark. Bruising around the site is common at first.

⚠ Get urgent help if…

• A high fever, shivering, a racing heartbeat or feeling very unwell - possible signs of a serious infection or sepsis (call 999 or seek emergency care).
• Redness, swelling, warmth, pain or pus at the line entry site.
• Pain, swelling or tenderness in the arm where a line sits (possible clot).
• A line that is leaking, has come out, is blocked, or has a part missing.
• A severe allergic reaction - widespread rash, swelling of the face or lips, or difficulty breathing (call 999).
• Severe or persistent diarrhoea while on antibiotics.
• Your original infection getting worse rather than better.

Who to contact: your clinician, clinic or test provider first (keep their number to hand). For urgent advice when you can't reach them, call NHS 111. In an emergency, call 999.

General guidance — it doesn't replace the specific advice your specialist gives you.

Results & realistic expectations

OPAT works well when the infection responds to treatment, you complete the full course, and the line stays trouble-free. Blood tests showing falling markers of infection, along with feeling better, suggest things are going well. Studies of established OPAT services report high rates of successful treatment and low rates of serious problems.

OPAT cannot guarantee that an infection will clear, that the line will not cause trouble, or that you will not need to return to hospital. Its success depends on careful selection, good line care, reliable monitoring and finishing the course - which is why the support around the antibiotics matters as much as the antibiotics themselves.

OPAT is a course of treatment, not a permanent therapy, and the line is removed once the course is finished. How long the benefit lasts depends on the underlying infection being fully treated; some infections, such as those around joint replacements, may need long or repeated courses. If a further course is needed later, a new line is usually placed. Looking after the line well throughout reduces the chance of complications that could interrupt treatment.

Related tests, treatments or support

OPAT is often used as part of treating a specific infection - for example bone and joint infection, skin infection (cellulitis), infection of the heart valves (endocarditis), or infection in the tummy or bloodstream - and works alongside any surgery and the wider specialist team. Blood-test monitoring and, where relevant, scans are arranged together so progress and safety are tracked throughout.

Follow-up & long-term care

You are reviewed regularly while on OPAT, with at least weekly blood tests, and the team adjusts treatment if your results or symptoms change. When the course finishes, the line is removed and a follow-up plan is made to confirm the infection has cleared and to watch for recurrence. Your GP and any referring specialist are kept informed throughout.

• Look after the line and keep it clean and dry every day until it is removed.
• Attend all blood tests so the antibiotics' effect and safety are monitored.
• Complete the full course and do not stop early without speaking to the team.
• Report line problems or side effects promptly using your emergency contact.
• Follow the agreed plan for line removal and follow-up at the end of treatment.

Repeat, follow-on and what comes next

• A line that blocks, clots or becomes infected may need removing and re-siting.
• Antibiotics may be changed if culture results, side effects or monitoring blood tests indicate.
• Some people need readmission to hospital if the infection does not respond or complications occur.
• Longer or repeated courses, with a new line, may be required for difficult infections.

Ask what happens if the result is unclear or needs repeating, and what is included if further tests or follow-up are needed.

What good aftercare looks like

• A 24-hour named contact route for line problems or feeling unwell.
• Clear written instructions for line care, dosing and what to watch for.
• At least weekly blood-test monitoring with prompt action on abnormal results.
• A defined plan for line removal, end-of-course review and follow-up, shared with your GP and specialist.

What affects the cost

Costs vary a great deal between people and providers, and we don't publish prices. What matters is understanding what drives the cost and making sure your quote is complete. The main things that affect it:

• The type of line used (cannula, midline or PICC) and its insertion
• How doses are given - nurse visits, clinic attendance, or self-administration after training
• Which antibiotics are used, how often, and the length of the course
• Equipment such as infusion pumps, dressings and home delivery of medicines
• Frequency of monitoring blood tests and specialist review
• Line care and removal, and management of any complications

• Assessment and infection-specialist involvement
• Line insertion, ongoing line care and removal
• The antibiotics and the full course, plus equipment and home delivery
• Nurse visits or clinic attendances, or training if self-administering
• Blood-test monitoring and review appointments
• What happens, and what it costs, if there is a complication or you need readmission

On the NHS? OPAT is widely available on the NHS when an infection needs intravenous antibiotics but does not require an inpatient stay; private OPAT exists and should follow the same UK good-practice standards.

You're entitled to your total cost in writing — including reports, follow-up and what happens if the result is inconclusive — before you decide.

Consent traps and marketing red flags

These are not small details. They are often where patients lose choice, time to reflect, or realistic expectations.

Choosing a specialist safely

• Check the specialist is on the GMC Specialist Register for this area.
• Make sure they work at a CQC-registered service, and look for membership of the relevant Royal College or professional body.
• You're entitled to time to consider and to have your questions answered before you agree — the specialist who looks after you should explain it, not a salesperson.
• Be wary of pressure: time-limited offers or deposits taken before you've had time to think are red flags, not bargains.
• You're entitled to your total cost in writing — including any follow-up — before you decide.

How Vuemedics verifies every consultant →

Take this to your consultation. A good specialist will welcome every one of these.

• Why is OPAT suitable for my infection, and how long is the course likely to be?
• What type of line will I have, and how do I look after it?
• Who will give the doses - a nurse, a clinic, or me - and what training will I get?
• How often will I have blood tests, and what are they checking for?
• Who do I contact, day or night, if the line or I run into trouble?
• Are you on the GMC Specialist Register for this area, and which Royal College or professional body are you a member of?
• Will you be the specialist who carries out my treatment, and who looks after me afterwards?
• What are the risks for someone like me, and how often do your own patients have a problem or need it repeated or redone?
• What does a realistic result look like — and what can this treatment not achieve?
• What are my options, including waiting, doing nothing for now, or choosing a different approach?
• Can I have written information, results and aftercare instructions in a format I can use, including any accessibility or communication support I need?
• What is the total cost in writing, including any follow-ups, and how much time do I have to decide?

Find a verified specialist for outpatient antibiotic drips (opat)

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How we made this page

Medically reviewed by a GMC-registered consultant. Written in plain English, checked against NHS, NICE, GMC and relevant Royal College / specialist-society guidance, and kept under review. No clinic paid to appear on this page, and we publish no pricing. This is general information to help you prepare — it is not a substitute for advice from your own clinician. How we review our guides →

Source hierarchy: UK regulator and NHS/NICE guidance first, then relevant Royal College or specialist-society guidance, then peer-reviewed evidence for procedure-specific figures where available.

Sources & standards: 2026 Updated good practice recommendations for OPAT in adults and children in the UK (PMC) Updated good practice recommendations for OPAT in the UK, 2019 (Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy) NHS England - Guidance on developing OPAT services BSAC - OPAT good practice recommendations (adults), consensus statement (PubMed)

Reviews reflect patients' experience of care, not clinical outcomes. For procedure volumes and outcome data see PHIN.

Last medically reviewed 2026-09-21. Spotted something wrong or out of date? Report an error in this guide.