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Endophthalmitis less frequent for intravitreal injections given in operating theater vs. office
Following intravitreal injection, endophthalmitis occurs less frequently in eyes injected outside of an office setting, according to a study.
The retrospective comparative cohort study included 1,146 consecutive patients treated with 12,249 intravitreal injections of either ranibizumab (Lucentis, Genentech) or bevacizumab (Avastin, Genentech). All patients were treated by a single surgeon.
In the in-office procedure room, 3,376 injections were performed; 8,873 injections were performed in the theater setting.
Endophthalmitis occurred four times in eyes injected in the in-office setting versus zero occurrences in the theater setting (P = .006).
The operating theater was an accredited setting, whereas the in-office environment was not accredited.
“Accreditation is a process in which an organization is evaluated by a recognized body to assess compliance with predetermined and published standards,” the authors said. “While office-based surgery is generally safe and cost effective, a growth in the number of office-based procedures justifies the need to address the lack of regulatory standards.”
The study took place in Tasmania, Australia.