Guideline

Patients should NOT be converted to oral therapy if they meet any of the following exclusion criteria:

• The patient is being treated for an infection where parenteral therapy is indicated, such as endocarditis, CNS infection (e.g. meningitis, encephalitis), osteomyelitis, septic arthritis or bacteremia.

• The patient may have an unreliable response to oral therapy due to potential oral absorption issues such as: continuous tube feeding or NG suction, shortened gastrointestinal (GI) time (malabsorption syndrome, removal of part of GI tract, inflammatory bowel disease), ileus or GI obstruction, difficulty swallowing, severe diarrhea/nausea/vomiting, pancreatitis, shock, active GI bleeding, drug interactions that would limit oral antimicrobial absorption.