Infusion services is an outpatient therapy service involving the administration of medication through a needle or catheter. It can range from the administration of IV antibiotics to injections to iron infusions, and it also includes other services such as port flushes.
Infusion therapy is also provided to patients for treating a wide assortment of often chronic and sometimes rare diseases for which “specialty” infusion medications are effective. Examples include blood factors, corticosteroids, erythropoietin, infliximab, inotropic heart medications, growth hormones, immunoglobulin, and many others.
Where is it located?
On the second floor at St Joseph Memorial Hospital.
Do you provide service for my condition?
Please call us at 618-684-1030 and we will discuss the matter with you. There are a wide range of services we offer.
Why is it beneficial to have this service in one location?
The service covers all of southern Illinois and enables patients to receive these monthly and daily administrations with as little difficulty as possible. Patients can come in for treatment and go home the same day with their families without having to check into the emergency department. Because infusion therapy is contained in one department, patients who are in regular need of our services have continuity of care. Our staff has the opportunity to get to know the patient and their specific needs.
What services are included in infusion therapy?
Typically, infusion therapy means that a drug is administered intravenously, but the term also may refer to situations where drugs are provided through other non-oral routes, such as intramuscular injections.
“Traditional” prescription drug therapies commonly administered via infusion include antibiotic, antifungal, antiviral, chemotherapy, hydration, pain management and parenteral nutrition.
What is treated with infusion therapy?
The major infusion therapies are IV antibiotics, prescribed primarily for such diagnoses as cellulitis, sepsis, and osteomyelitis; other diagnoses include urinary tract infections, pneumonia, sinusitis and more.
Specific treatments offered include:
- Anticoagulants
- Antivirals
- Blood Product Administration
- IV (Port) Catheter Care/Maintenance
- Hydration Therapy
- Immune Globulin (IVIG)
- Intramuscular and Subcutaneous Injections
- Iron Therapy
- IV Antibiotics
- Phlebotomy
- PICC Placement
- Prolastin / Aralast
- Remicade
- Solumedrol
- Total Parenteral Nutrition
- Tysabri upon certification completion
Diseases commonly requiring infusion therapy include infections that are unresponsive to oral antibiotics, cancer and cancer-related pain, dehydration, gastrointestinal diseases or disorders which prevent normal functioning of the gastrointestinal system, and more. Other conditions treated with specialty infusion therapies may include cancers, congestive heart failure, Crohn's Disease, hemophilia, immune deficiencies, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and more.