Comparing External Ventricular Drains-Related Ventriculitis Surveillance Definitions

The incidence of ventriculostomy-related infections as diagnosed by 16S rRNA polymerase chain reaction: A prospective observational study

BACKGROUND

Ventriculostomy-related infections (VRIs) are reported in about 10 % of patients with external ventricular drains (EVDs). VRIs are difficult to diagnose due to clinical and laboratory abnormalities caused by the primary neurological injury which led to insertion of the EVD. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) may enable more accurate diagnosis of VRI. We performed a prospective cohort study to measure the incidence of VRI as diagnosed by 16S rRNA PCR.

METHODS

Patients admitted to intensive care with a primary diagnosis of subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH), traumatic brain injury (TBI), or intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH), who required an EVD, were assessed for inclusion in this study. Data were extracted from the electronic medical record, bedside charts, or from a prospectively collected database, the Neuroscience Outcomes in Intensive CarE database (NOICE). 16S rRNA PCR was performed on routinely collected CSF as per laboratory protocol. VRI was also diagnosed based on pre-existing definitions.

RESULTS

237 CSF samples from 39 patients were enrolled in the study. The mean patient age was 55.7 years, and 56.4 % were female. The most common primary neurological diagnosis was SAH (61.5 %). The incidence of a positive PCR was 2.6 % of patients (1 in 39) and 0.8 % of CSF samples (2 in 237). The incidence of VRI according to pre-published diagnostic criteria was 2.6 % - 41 % of patients and 0.4 % - 17.6 % of CSF samples. 28.2 % of patients were treated for VRI. Pre-published definitions which relied on CSF culture results had higher specificity and lower false positive rates for predicting a PCR result when compared to definitions incorporating non-microbiological markers of VRI. In CSF samples with a negative 16S rRNA PCR, there was a high proportion of non-microbiological markers of infection, and a high incidence of fever on the day the CSF sample was taken.

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of VRI as defined as a positive PCR was lower than the incidence of VRI according to several published definitions, and lower than the incidence of VRI as defined as treatment by the clinical team. Non-microbiological markers of VRI may be less reliable than a positive CSF culture in diagnosing VRI.

Freehand frontal external ventricular drain (EVD) placement: Accuracy and complications

Ventriculostomy placement is a life-saving procedure. Our aim was to determine the predictors of inaccurate placement, our infection and hemorrhage rate. This was a retrospective study of EVD placements between January - November 2019. Data related to hemorrhage, infection and catheter misplacement were collected. Univariate and multivariate analyses of predictors of suboptimal catheter placement were performed. 131 consecutive patients underwent freehand EVD placement. The indications were subarachnoid hemorrhage in 36 (27.5%) patients, hemorrhagic stroke in 36 (27.5%), and trauma in 32 (24.4%) patients. Nine patients (6.8%) had culture-proven CSF bacterial infection. Sixteen (12.2%) patients developed small tract hemorrhage, while 8 (6.1%) patients developed large intraparenchymal hemorrhage. There was no correlation between tract hemorrhage or large hemorrhage with the use of antiplatelet or anticoagulation medicines on presentation, diagnosis or Kakarla grade. Trauma diagnosis (odds ratio 2.59, p-value 0.05), left side of EVD placement (odds ratio 2.84, p-value 0.03), increasing midline shift (odds ratio 1.09, p-value 0.03), and lower bicaudate index (odds ratio 0.56, p-value 0.02) were all predictors of Kakarla grade 3 suboptimal placement. When Kakarla grade 2 and 3 were combined, similar results were obtained except that midline shift was no longer statistically significant. The multivariable regression model predicting Kakarla 3 suboptimal placement revealed that low bicaudate index and left sided EVD were predictors of misplaced EVD.

Effectiveness of a Standardized External Ventricular Drain Placement Protocol for Infection Control

INTRODUCTION

Placement of an external ventricular drain (EVD) is a common procedure routinely completed at bedside by neurosurgical residents. A standardized protocol for placement and maintenance of an EVD is potentially useful.

METHODS

This single-institution retrospective review analyzed all patients who underwent placement of an EVD over a 5-year span using a standardized protocol.

RESULTS

A total of 428 EVDs in 381 patients were placed as per this protocol. Overall compliance with the practice protocol was 98.7%. Overall, our infection rate was 1.86% (8 external ventricular drain-related infection [ERIs] over 428 EVDs). There was no difference in age for the ERI cases (median 55, range (50.5-60.5), compared with the non-ERI cases (median of 53, range [38-65]) (P = 0.512). Indications for placement of EVD were hemorrhage (51.9%, n = 198), tumor (16.2%, n = 62), trauma (12.8%, n = 49), hydrocephalus (11.5%, n = 44), cerebellar stroke (2.8%, n = 11), infection (3.1%, n = 12), unknown (1.3%, n = 5). Most EVDs (77.6%, n = 296) were placed bedside by second-year residents (median PGY level 2, interquartile range 1-2.75). Computed tomography confirmed placement in the ipsilateral frontal horn in 72% (n = 277) of EVDs. EVD-related complications were noted in 8.3% of EVDs (n = 32, with 8 infections and 24 tract hemorrhages). The median EVD duration was 10 days; duration of EVD had no statistically significant impact on the risk of an ERI (P = 1). Only replacement of an EVD was associated with an increased risk of infection.

CONCLUSIONS

Adherence to a standard EVD placement protocol is useful in maintaining a low risk of ERI regardless of the duration of catheter utilization. Replacement of the catheter through the same access hole as the original catheter is associated with an increased risk of ERI.

Severe infections in neurocritical care

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

We have highlighted the recent advances in infection in neurocritical care.

RECENT FINDINGS

Central nervous system (CNS) infections, including meningitis, encephalitis and pyogenic brain infections represent a significant cause of ICU admissions. We underwent an extensive review of the literature over the last several years in order to summarize the most important points in the diagnosis and treatment of severe infections in neurocritical care.

SUMMARY

Acute brain injury triggers an inflammatory response that involves a complex interaction between innate and adaptive immunity, and there are several factors that can be implicated, such as age, genetic predisposition, the degree and mechanism of the injury, systemic and secondary injury and therapeutic interventions. Neuroinflammation is a major contributor to secondary injury. The frequent and challenging presence of fever is a common denominator amongst all neurocritical care patients.

Effect of a bundle approach on external ventricular drain-related infection

BACKGROUND

Emergency placement of an external ventricular drain (EVD) is one of the most frequently performed neurosurgical procedures. EVD-related infection continues to be a major challenge causing significant morbidity and costs. Bundle approaches have been shown to reduce infection rates; however, they are still not widely used, and observation periods often were rather short.

METHODS

The present study evaluated the effect of a multi-item bundle approach for EVD placement and care on the occurrence of EVD-related infection. A before/after approach was used to compare groups of consecutive patients over 5-year epochs to control for bias and secondary confounding variables.

RESULTS

The number of patients in the group before implementation of the bundle approach was 141 and 208 thereafter. There were no statistical differences in demographic and other variables. While 41/141 patients (29.1%) had an EVD-related infection before, this was the case in only 10/208 patients (4.8%) thereafter (p < 0.0001). The EVD-related infection rate was reduced from 13.7/1000 catheter days to 3.2/1000, and the 50% probability of an EVD-related infection in correlation to the mean duration of EVD placement was significantly lower (p < 0.0001). Routine EVD replacement was not helpful to reduce EVD-related infection. EVD-related infection rates remained low also over the next 8 years after the study was finished.

CONCLUSIONS

The introduction of a multi-item bundle approach for EVD insertion and care resulted in a marked reduction of EVD-related infection. Long observation periods over 5 years and beyond confirm that short-term changes are sustained with continued use of such protocols.

Cerebrospinal Fluid Collected by Lumbar Puncture Has a Higher Diagnostic Accuracy than Collected by Ventriculostomy

BACKGROUND

Patients harboring an external ventricular drain (EVD) who develop signs of infection require screening for infection in the central nervous system (CNS). The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) can be collected by the EVD or by lumbar puncture (LP). If only one sample is analyzed, the diagnosis might be dubious or false-negative. The objective of this study was to compare the diagnosis accuracy of CNS infection of CSF samples collected from EVD and LP.

METHODS

We conducted a transversal study where data were prospectively collected from 2016 to 2019. Patients harboring EVD with signs of infection were submitted to the CSF analysis collected by LP and EVD. Diagnosis sensibility and results correlation were analyzed using the kappa index.

RESULTS

The 141 samples from LP and 141 samples from EVD were collected from 108 patients. Among the 282 samples, a total of 77 had infection. Seventy CSF samples from LP fulfilled infection criteria. However, only 32 EVD samples demonstrated infection. Among the 70 cases of infection based on the LP sample, 25 CSF samples collected from the EVD were also suggestive of infection; but in 45 patients only the CSF samples from LP met infection criteria. Seven patients had diagnosis of infection only in the EVD sample. The kappa correlation index of the results obtained from LP and EVD was 0.260 and the McNemar χ² test was <0.01.

CONCLUSIONS

The CSF analysis exclusive from the EVD has a low sensibility and negative predictive value. CSF collected from LP has a sensibility 2.18 times higher than EVD.

Complications of invasive intracranial pressure monitoring devices in neurocritical care

Intracranial pressure monitoring devices have become the standard of care for the management of patients with pathologies associated with intracranial hypertension. Given the importance of invasive intracranial monitoring devices in the modern neurointensive care setting, gaining a thorough understanding of the potential complications related to device placement-and misplacement-is crucial. The increased prevalence of intracranial pressure monitoring as a management tool for neurosurgical patients has led to the publication of a plethora of papers regarding their indications and complications. The authors aim to provide a concise review of key contemporary articles in the literature concerning important complications with the hope of elucidating practices that improve outcomes for neurocritically ill patients.

Healthcare-associated infections in the neurological intensive care unit: Results of a 6-year surveillance study at a major tertiary care center

BACKGROUND

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) occur frequently in neurological intensive care units (neuro-ICUs); however, data differentiating associations with various diagnostic categories and resulting burdens are limited. This prospective cohort study reported incidence rates, pathogen distribution, and patient-related outcomes of HAIs in a neuro-ICU population from April 2010 to March 2016.

METHODS

Laboratory results and specific clinical indicators were used to categorize infections as per National Healthcare Safety Network nosocomial infection surveillance definitions. Patient outcomes studied included length of stay and mortality.

RESULTS

There were 6,033 neuro-ICU admissions resulting in 20,800 neuro-ICU days over the 6-year study period. A total of 227 HAIs were identified for a rate of 10.9/1,000 ICU days. Device-associated infections accounted for 80.6% of HAIs, with incidence rates (per 1,000 device days) being 18.4 for ventilator-associated pneumonia; 4.9 for catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs); 4.0 for ventriculostomy-associated infections; and 0.6 for central line-associated blood stream infections (CLABSIs). Of the various diagnostic categories, subdural hematoma and intracerebral/intraventricular hemorrhage were associated with the highest pooled HAIs, with incidence rates of 21.3 and 21.1 per 1,000 neuro-ICU days, respectively. Prolonged neuro-ICU length of stay was strongly associated with all HAIs.

CONCLUSIONS

This large-scale surveillance study provides estimates of the risk of common HAIs in neurocritical care patients and their effect on hospitalization. Preventive strategies kept rates of infection very low, in particular CAUTI, CLABSI, and Clostridium difficile infections, and inhibited the emergence of resistant organisms.