IV protocol

Aboveallislove

Super Moderator
Just curious: does your cf center do 14 days IV if you stay in. hospital but 21 if you go home? And do they sa 4 treatments per day the entire time while on IV?
and do they somehow giv you ten extra hours every day?
 

kenna2

Member
Yes, a home regimen is 21 days and in house stay is 14 days. This is for a couple of reason I think. At home you're in a normal environment and not on a strict regimen like you would be in the hospital. The strength of medication you can get at home is probably limited and requires more treatments to hit the same dose you're getting in the hospital. When you're at home you're not really resting. You're still able to go out and do things like your normally would even though you're on IV's. At the hospital you're forced to take it easy and rest. So your body is going to heal quicker. I hate having to be in the hospital, but when it comes to IV treatment, I'd rather be there because I get healthier quicker and I'm forced to rest.
 

shay

New member
Both our pediatric and adult centers do not follow that protocol. Both have been 14 days whether inpatient or outpatient, and then reevaluate to see if IVs should be continued any longer. For my daughter, the meds she has used at home have been the same as in the hospital. We just worked on the dosing schedule the first few days to make it more manageable at home.
 

stephen

Super Moderator
I've been prescribed outpatient antibiotic IVs from three different adult CF centers in the New York City area. Similar to "shay" the initial treatment was always for 10 to 14 days.
On rare occasions when additional treatment was indicated, the antibiotics were always changed, and 7 to 10 days were added.

Good luck.
 

Aboveallislove

Super Moderator
How strange. I'd think it would be uniform with CFF. I had argued for 14 days because DS hadn't cultured anything new; definitely had RSV; we were 100% compliant and in fact did all his treatments in hospital too; he was completely cough free when we left hospital; and he had bad GI issues and wanted to cut chance of messing that up. But his doctor said no 21 days is protocal. But part of me thin\ks maybe that will help in case he was exposed to something new in hospital to \keep it from colonizing.
 

jaimers

Super Moderator
I've never heard that protocol before and neither center I've been to (UNC and now Mass General hospital) follows that protocol. It's always been 14 days whether in hospital or at home for me. I've always been given the option of continuing for more days if I'm still not feeling well, but that has only happened once I believe. And my med doses have always been the same at home or in the hospital.
 

triples15

Super Moderator
Hi again Love!

Neither of the 2 centers I've been to use that protocol. When I was younger/healthier and bounced back much quicker we always did 2 weeks, regardless of whether I stayed in the hospital or did them at home. By 2 weeks I was always back up to, or above, baseline and we stopped. For the last few years I always end up having to do 3 weeks, and have done 4 weeks. But none of it has been dependent on whether I'm in the hospital or at home.

My *personal* opinion is that I see no reason for him to go 3 weeks, but obviously I'm no doctor. Frankly I'm a bit perplexed by the protocol. I don't think another week will necessarily hurt anything, although if the meds are playing heck with his gut then it may be a different story.

Keep us posted.

Hugs,

Autumn
 

Aboveallislove

Super Moderator
So interesting. I'm going to discuss with our doctor at the next appointment. My gut is with you but then I countered it with "well if he was exposed at hospital to something he has 2 weeks on antibiotic at home to kill it." His gut is actually pretty darn good...almost better, but we'll see after. I'll report back but "bet" it is because it is a research oriented CF Center and that there is research that 3 weeks has better results so they use that protocol no matter what the "control" factors are,
i.e., bounded back, Alpha Momma
, compliant,
etc. I'll let everyone \know after his June appointment what I find out.
.
 
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