Intravenous versus oral outpatient antibiotic therapy for pediatric acute osteomyelitis.

The optimal route (oral versus intravenous) of antibiotic administration for pediatric acute osteomyelitis is not well established. Seventy-eight children from our university hospital and 17 children at our county hospital were treated for acute osteomyelitis. The rates of intravenous antibiotics upon discharge were 95% versus 65% (P=0.002), respectively. The recurrence rate and line complication rates were 10% and 24% at the university hospital, compared to 0% (P=0.34) and 6% (P=0.29) at the county hospital. Based on this data, a prospective comparison between intravenous and early oral antibiotic therapy for pediatric acute osteomyelitis is recommended.