ElastoMeric Infusion Pumps for Hospital AntibioTICs (EMPHATIC)

Special pumps called self-deflating Elastomeric Pumps (EMPs) will be tested for giving antibiotics via a drip to hospital patients. EMPs are filled with antibiotics, attached to a "drip" (usually in the arm) and worn on the body, slowly giving antibiotics through the day. EMPs are often used to give antibiotics to patients in their own home but they have not been used to treat patients in hospital before, so a small study of 10 patients will be conducted to see if a full scale clinical trial is worthwhile. EMPs will be tested for ease of use and safety in hospital, and to find out what staff and patients think about them. The pilot will be done to see if a clinical trial would be good value for money by comparing time spent in hospital, nursing time and overall cost to the NHS of the two ways of giving antibiotics to patients.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Infection, Bacterial
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: To assess the feasibility of giving intravenous antibiotics to adult inpatients using elastomeric infusion pumps (EMPs)

Detailed Description

4 Background 4.1 Antibiotic resistance Antibiotic resistance (AMR) is when bacteria have changed (mutated) so they can survive the effects of antibiotics, meaning antibiotics are less effective. AMR is a major threat to health worldwide. In UK hospitals, at least a third of patients are on antibiotics at any given time. Hospital patients with serious infections are often given intravenous antibiotics (through a "drip" into a vein). Cutting down unnecessary antibiotic prescribing is key to reducing resistance.

4.2 Problems giving intravenous antibiotics Giving intravenous antibiotics takes a lot of nursing time. This is made worse if antibiotics are needed more than once a day. Nurses are the only staff who give intravenous antibiotics in hospitals, and there is a shortage of 40,000 nurses in the NHS. Because of this, it is common for doses to be missed. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the pressure on nurses' time. It is not always practical to give antibiotics 4 or 6 times a day so less effective antibiotics may be used instead.

4.3 What can be done to help? Some antibiotics work better when given slowly into a vein all the time. EMPs are self-powered devices that deliver antibiotics in this way.

EMPs:

• are currently used to give antibiotics to patients in their own homes
• are not used to give antibiotics to patients in hospitals because the safety, benefits and value for money have not been confirmed
• could allow more nurse time for patient care by reducing the time to set up antibiotic drips.
• could make things better for patients by allowing them to move more, sleep better, recover faster and spend less time in hospital

4.4 Designs and methods used Patients who could have antibiotics through EMPs will be identified from clinical ward rounds. EMPs will be tested for safety in hospital patients, as well as value for money in the NHS by collecting information about costs, nursing time and length of hospital stay. Surveys of patients and nursing staff will be conducted to explore how EMPs could be best used in hospital.

4.5 Patient and public involvement (PPI) This research has been driven by patients who know how difficult it is to keep mobile when attached to drip stands; how disturbed sleep from drips being set up in the night affects their wellbeing; and, how they are concerned about missed doses of antibiotics. The project has been designed with input from a PPI representative (Co-investigator Thompson) who has reviewed all project plans and materials.

4.6 Dissemination Findings will be published in medical journals and presented at conferences/NHS patient events. Social media will be used to let people know what is found and infographics will be developed to help communicate findings using social media. If appropriate, funding will be sought for a full trial.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 9
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United Kingdom
  • West Yorkshire
    • Wakefield, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom, WF14DG
      • Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adult patients 18 years and over admitted to hospital with an infection requiring treatment for 7 days or more with intravenous flucloxacillin, piperacillin/tazobactam or benzylpenicillin Clinically stable and improving as assessed by the hospital medical consultant and likely to be well enough for discharge in the next two weeks.

Able to provide written consent or witnessed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unable to receive an appropriate vascular access device, such as a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) Penicillin allergy and unsuitable to receive penicillin challenge or desensitisation.

Requires a combination of intravenous antibiotics, any of which needs to be given more often than once daily.

Requires transfer to another hospital Unsuitable for outpatient parenteral antibiotic treatment

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Device Feasibility
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Number of consented patients who complete the antibiotics through an elastomeric pump; Flucloxacillin, piperacillin/taozbactam and benzylpenicillin will be use	Device: To assess the feasibility of giving intravenous antibiotics to adult inpatients using elastomeric infusion pumps (EMPs); Single arm study

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Number (%) of consented inpatients who complete the planned course of intravenous antibiotics through an EMP	6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Number (%) of screened patients as identified by a microbiologist, antimicrobial pharmacist or the patient's clinical team	6 months
Number (%) of screened patients consented (recruitment)	6 months
Number (%) of consented patients who receive ≥1 dose of EMP	6 months
Time (hrs) from electronic prescribing (with planned start date) of initial intravenous antibiotic to administration of first dose through EMP	6 months
Time (hrs) from identification of medically fit for discharge to actual discharge	6 months
Duration of hospital inpatient stay (days)	6 months
Time (minutes) to order, procure, deliver and administer EMPs	6 months
Clinical cure (resolution of symptoms) assessed by hospital medical consultant	6 months
30-day mortality	6 months
High residual volume in EMP (greater than 15% of 240mL = 36mL)	6 months
Duration of total antibiotic course (days), including any early termination of planned treatment course and reason	6 months
Description of antibiotic treatment pathway: intermittent, EMP, outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy (OPAT), oral, cease	6 months
Number of intravascular access devices required, including intermittent infusion period and EMP period	6 months
Number (%) of missed and delayed doses from beginning of antibiotic course, either with intermittent infusion or EMP	6 months
Time taken (hrs) to order, procure, deliver and administer antibiotics through EMPs	6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Stuart Bond

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 7, 2022
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 1, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): September 1, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 22, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 7, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): December 8, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): September 29, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 23, 2025
• Last Verified: September 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Infections; Bacterial Infections and Mycoses; Bacterial Infections; Anti-Infective Agents; Anti-Bacterial Agents
• Other Study ID Numbers: 21/1358

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No