Logistic Regression Analysis of Risk Factors for Intracranial Infection After Multiple Traumatic Craniotomy and Preventive Measures

A predictive model for secondary central nervous system infection after craniotomy based on machine learning

To analyze the risk factors of secondary Central nervous system infections (CNSIs) after craniotomy, and to establish an individualized predictive model for CNSIs risk. The independent risk factors were screened by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Logistic regression, naive bayes, random forest, light GBM and adaboost algorithms were used to establish predictive models for secondary CNSIs after craniotomy. The predictive model based on the Adaboost algorithm demonstrated superior prediction performance compared to the other four models. Under 5-fold cross validation, the accuracy was 0.80, the precision was 0.69, the recall was 0.85, the F1-score was 0.76, the area under the ROC curve was 0.897,and the average precision was 0.880. The top 5 variables of importance in Adaboost model were operation time, indwelling time of lumbar drainage tube, indwelling lumbar drainage tube during operation, indwelling epidural drainage tube during operation, and GCS score. In addition, Adaboost model with the best prediction performance was used for clinical verification, and the prediction results were compared with the actual occurrence of CNSIs after surgery. The results showed that the accuracy of Adaboost model in predicting CNSIs was 60%, the accuracy of Adaboost model in predicting non-CNSIS was 92%, and the overall prediction accuracy was 76%.

Risk Factors for Central Nervous System Infections After Craniotomy

The central nervous system (CNS) is less prone to infection owing to protection from the brain-blood barrier. However, craniotomy destroys this protection and increases the risk of infection in the brain of patients who have undergone craniotomy. CNS infection after craniotomy significantly increases the patient's mortality rate and disability. Controlling the occurrence of intracranial infection is very important for post-craniotomy patients. CNS infection after craniotomy is caused by several factors such as preoperative, intraoperative, and post-operative factors. Craniotomy may lead to postsurgical intracranial infection, which is mainly associated with surgery duration, infratentorial (posterior fossa) surgery, cerebrospinal fluid leakage, drainage tube placement, unregulated use of antibiotics, glucocorticoid use, age, diabetes, and other systemic infections. Understanding the risk factors of CNS infection after craniotomy can benefit reducing the incidence of intracranial infectious diseases. This will also provide the necessary guidance and evidence in clinical practice for planning to control intracranial infection in patients with craniotomy.

Prediction model of central nervous system infections in patients with severe traumatic brain injury after craniotomy

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a nomogram to predict CNS infections in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI) after craniotomy.

METHODS

This retrospective study was conducted in consecutive adult patients with sTBI who were admitted to the neurointensive care unit (NCU) between January 2014 and September 2020. We applied the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and multivariate logistic regression analysis to construct the nomogram, and k-fold cross-validation (k=10) to validate it. The receiver operator characteristic area under the curve (AUC) and calibration curve were applied to evaluate the predictive effect of the nomogram. The clinical usefulness was investigated by decision curve analysis (DCA).

RESULTS

A total of 471 patients with sTBI who underwent surgical treatment were included, of whom 75 patients (15.7%) were diagnosed with CNS infections. The serum level of albumin, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) otorrhoea at admission, CSF leakage, CSF sampling, and postoperative re-bleeding were associated with CNS infections and incorporated into the nomogram. The results showed that our model yielded satisfactory prediction performance with an AUC value of 0.962 in the training set and 0.942 in the internal validation. The calibration curve exhibited satisfactory concordance between the predicted and actual outcomes. The model had good clinical use since the DCA covered a large threshold probability.

CONCLUSION

We established a straightforward individualized nomogram for CNS infections in sTBI patients in the NCU, which could help physicians screen high-risk patients to perform early interventions to reduce the incidence of CNS infections in sTBI patients.

Correlation between cerebrospinal fluid abnormalities before ventriculoperitoneal shunt and postoperative intracranial infection in adult patients with hydrocephalus: A clinical study

Objective

To identify the relationship between preoperative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leukocyte, chloride, glucose, aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, adenosine deaminase, lactic acid and protein levels and ventriculoperitoneal shunt infection.

Methods

Records of 671 consecutive adult patients who underwent ventriculoperitoneal shunt surgery for the treatment of hydrocephalus at Zhujiang Hospital affiliated with Southern Medical University from January 2011 to March 2022 were reviewed. The patients were divided into infection and non-infection groups based on the presence of postoperative infection. For all patients, we analyzed age; sex; primary disease; preoperative CSF leukocyte, chloride, glucose, aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, adenosine deaminase, lactic acid and protein levels; postoperative temperature; and postoperative infection.

Results

A total of 397 patients were included, 28 (7.05%) of whom had an infection within 6 months of the operation and the remaining had no infection. There was no significant difference in age, sex, primary disease, leukocyte, chloride ion, aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, adenosine deaminase and protein levels in CSF between infection group and non-infection group (p > 0.05). The postoperative infection rate of patients with CSF glucose < 2.8 mmol/L (x ² = 11.650, p = 0.001) and CSF lactic acid >2.8 mmol/L (x ² = 12.455, p < 0.001) was higher than that of patients with CSF glucose level ≥2.8 mmol/L and CSF lactic acid level in the range of (1-2.8) mmol/L, respectively, with statistical difference. Compared with the non-infection group, the level of CSF glucose (t = 4.113, p < 0.001) was significantly lower, and the level of CSF lactic acid (t = 6.651, p < 0.001) was significantly higher in the infection group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that preoperative cerebrospinal fluid glucose < 2.8 mmol/L (OR = 3.911, 95% CI: 1.653~9.253, p = 0.002) and cerebrospinal fluid lactate >2.8 mmol/L (OR = 4.712, 95% CI: 1.892~11.734, p = 0.001) are risk factors for infection after ventriculoperitoneal shunt. ROC analysis revealed that the area under the curve (AUC) for CSF glucose and lactic acid level were 0.602 (95% CI: 0.492-0.713) and 0.818 (95% CI: 0.738-0.898), respectively. The infection group had higher rates of fever and body temperature on postoperative day 3-7 (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

For adult hydrocephalus patients without clinical manifestations of intracranial infection but only with simple abnormality of cerebrospinal fluid, when the content of glucose in cerebrospinal fluid is < 2.8 mmol/L, and the content of lactic acid is >2.8 mmol/L, it is recommended to perform ventriculoperitoneal shunt after further improvement of cerebrospinal fluid indicators, otherwise, hasty operation will increase the postoperative infection rate. The postoperative fever rate of ventriculoperitoneal shunt surgery is high and the body temperature drops rapidly. If there is still fever after day 3 after surgery, whether there is intracranial infection should be considered.

Effects of CT/MRI Image Fusion on Cerebrovascular Protection, Postoperative Complications, and Limb Functional Recovery in Patients with Anterior and Middle Skull Base Tumors: Based on a Retrospective Cohort Study

Objective. To explore the effect of CT/MRI image fusion on cerebrovascular protection, postoperative complications and limb function recovery in patients with anterior and middle skull base tumors. Methods. During January 2019 to December 2021, a retrospective study was conducted on 50 patients who underwent anterior and middle skull base tumor resection in the same surgeon group in our hospital. According to the different surgical approaches, the patients were assigned to the fusion group (n = 29) and the routine group (n = 21). The routine group was operated with traditional operation, and the fusion group was operated with CT/MRI image fusion technique. The operation time, wound volume, resection rate and Karnofsky performance status (KPS), blood transfusion (vascular protection), tumor resection rate, and postoperative complications were compared. Results. The time of operation in the fusion group was shorter compared to the routine group, and the volume of the wound cavity in the fusion group was smaller compared to the routine group, and the difference was statistically significant ( $P<0.05$ ). Following treatment, the KPS score of the fusion group was remarkably higher compared to the routine group, and the difference was statistically significant ( $P<0.05$ ). The intraoperative blood transfusion rate in the fusion group was 17.24%, and the intraoperative blood transfusion rate in the routine group was 47.62%, and the difference was statistically significant ( $P<0.05$ ). The resection rate in the fusion group (89.66%) was remarkably higher compared to the routine group (61.90%, $P<0.05$ ). The incidence of postoperative complications in the fusion group (6.90%) was remarkably lower compared to the control group (33.33%, $P<0.05$ ). Conclusion. The application of CT/MRI image-fusion technology can effectively enhance the clinical symptoms of patients with tumors in the anterior and middle region of the skull base, which can promote the prognosis, shorten the operation time, reduce unnecessary cerebral neurovascular injuries, and retain more brain functions.

Use of the 5-Factor Modified Frailty Index to Predict Hospital-Acquired Infections and Length of Stay Among Neurotrauma Patients Undergoing Emergent Craniotomy/Craniectomy

OBJECTIVE

Traumatic brain injury is a significant public health concern often complicated by hospital-acquired infections (HAIs); however, previous evaluations of factors predictive of risk for HAI have generally been single-center analyses or limited to surgical site infections. Frailty assessment has been shown to provide effective risk stratification in neurosurgery. We evaluated whether frailty status or age is more predictive of HAIs and length of stay among neurotrauma patients requiring craniectomy/craniotomy.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional analysis, the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program 2015-2019 dataset was queried to identify neurotrauma patients who underwent craniectomies/craniotomies. The effects of frailty status (using the 5-factor modified frailty index [mFI-5]) and age on occurrence of HAIs and other 30-day adverse events were compared using univariate analysis. The discriminative ability of each measure was defined by multivariate modeling.

RESULTS

Of 3284 patients identified, 1172 (35.7%) contracted an HAI postoperatively. Increasing frailty score predicted increased HAI risk (odds ratio [OR] = 1.36, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.05-1.77, P = 0.022 for mFI-5 = 1 and OR = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.30-3.11, P = 0.002 for mFI-5≥3), whereas increasing age did not (OR = 0.996, 95% CI = 0.989-1.002, P = 0.009). Median length of stay was significantly longer in patients with HAI (16 days [IQR = 9-23]) versus no HAI (7 days [IQR = 4-13]) (P < 0.001). Median daily costs on the ward and neuro-intensive care unit were higher with HAI than with no HAI (neuro-ICU: $111,818.08 [IQR = 46,418.05-189,947.34] vs. $48,920.41 [IQR = 20,185.20-107,712.54], P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Increasing mFI-5 correlated with increased HAI risk. Neurotrauma patients who developed an HAI after craniectomy/craniotomy had longer hospitalizations and higher care costs. Frailty scoring improves risk stratification among these patients and may assist in reducing total hospital length of stay and total accrued costs to patients.

Placement of Wound Drain After Anterior Circulation Aneurysm Clipping: A Single-Center Retrospective Study

OBJECTIVE

Wound drain used to be a routine procedure after craniotomy for aneurysm clipping, although this was not based on clinical evidence. The purpose of our study was to determine the necessity of wound drain placement after anterior circulation aneurysm surgery.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis of patients with anterior circulation aneurysms treated by clipping in the Department of Neurosurgery, Wuhan University Zhongnan hospital from January 2019 to December 2019 was carried out. Demographic and clinical data, including age, sex, body mass index, disease history, results of the laboratory and imaging examinations, and surgical logs, were reviewed.

RESULTS

A total of 236 patients (90 male and 146 female) were included in the analysis and were divided into a Drain group and a No Drain group according to whether postoperative wound drainage was applied. There was no statistical difference in the incidence of a postoperative extradural hematoma between patients in the 2 groups. However, the incidence of postoperative meningitis was higher in the Drain group than in the No Drain group (9.09% vs. 1.59%, P = 0.009), and the total length of stay and postoperative length of stay in the Drain group were also more extended than in the No Drain group (17.32 ± 6.45 vs. 14.43 ± 5.75, P = 0.005; 12.83 ± 5.07 vs. 9.82 ± 4.50, P = 0.007, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Postoperative wound drain did not significantly reduce the incidence of an extradural hematoma after anterior circulation aneurysm surgery. On the contrary, it may be associated with an increased incidence of postoperative meningitis and length of stay. Given these findings, the postoperative drain should be maintained cautiously and meet more rigorous application criteria.

The risk factors of intracranial infection in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage undergone hematoma puncture: what should we care

BACKGROUND

Intracranial infection after puncture of cerebral hematoma in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage is very common in the department of neurosurgery, yet the relevant risks remain unknown. We attempted to analyze the risk factors of intracranial infection after puncture of cerebral hematoma, to provide insights into the management of patients with intracerebral hemorrhage after puncture of cerebral hematoma.

METHODS

Patients with intracerebral hemorrhage after puncture of cerebral hematoma treated in our hospital from January 2017 to January 2020 were selected, the related characteristics of intracranial infection and no infection patients were compared. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to analyze the risk factors for intracranial infection after puncture of cerebral hematoma.

RESULTS

A total of 925 patients with puncture of cerebral hematoma were included. The incidence of postoperative intracranial infection was 7.03%. There were significant statistical differences between the infected group and the no infection group in the American Association of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade, length of hospital stay, consecutive operation, duration of surgery, extra-ventricular drainage (EVD) use (all p < 0.05). There was statistically significant difference in the duration of EVD between the infection and no infection groups (p = 0.002), and there was no significant difference in the frequency of EVD insertion between the two groups (p = 0.094). The length of hospital stay≥10 days (OR1.832, 1.062-3.158), consecutive operation (OR2.158, 1.358-3.430), duration of surgery≥4 h (OR1.581, 1.031-2.425), EVD use (OR1.694, 1.074-2.670), and duration of EVD ≥ 7 days (OR2.699, 1.689-4.311) were the risk factors of intracranial infection in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage after puncture of cerebral hematoma (all p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Clinical medical workers should take corresponding preventive measures against the different risk factors for prevention of intracranial infection in patient with puncture of cerebral hematoma.

Risk factors for intracranial infection after craniotomy: A case-control study

BACKGROUND

Intracranial infection, serving as a severe postoperative infection after craniotomy, poses significant problems for patients' outcomes.

OBJECTIVE

To explore risk factors for intracranial infection after craniotomy.

METHODS

A total of 2,174 patients who underwent craniotomy from 1 May 2018 to 30 June 2019 were retrospectively studied. Finally, 196 patients with intracranial infections were classified as case group, and 392 patients randomly selected from patients without intracranial infection were classified as control group. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, microbiological, and antimicrobial data were systemically recorded. The characteristics, pre- and postoperative variables, and other variables were evaluated as risk factors for intracranial infection by univariate analysis and binary logistic regression model.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference in terms of demographics between two groups, except for gender, hypertension, length of stay (LOS), intraoperative blood loss, tumor, and trauma surgery. The independent risk factors were male, age ≤45, hypertension, tumor surgery, surgery in autumn (compared with spring), surgical duration ≥4 hr, intraoperative blood loss ≥400 ml, and postoperative oral infection, coma, and serum RBC > normal value. Trauma surgery (p < .001, OR = 0.05, 95% CI: 0.017-0.144) was an independent protective factor (p < .05, OR < 1) for intracranial infection. All 196 patients in the case group submitted specimens for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cultures, and 70 (35.71%) patients had positive results. Gram-positive pathogens predominated (59 cases, 84.28%). Staphylococcus were the most common causative pathogens, and fully resistant to aztreonam, cefazolin, and benzylpenicillin, but not resistant to linezolid and minocycline.

CONCLUSION

Identifying the risk factors, pathogens, and pathogens' antibiotic resistance for intracranial infection after craniotomy plays an important role in the prognosis of patients.

Application of combined cerebrospinal fluid physicochemical parameters to detect intracranial infection in neurosurgery patients

Routine test of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), such as glucose concentrations, chloride ion, protein and leukocyte, as well as color, turbidity and clot, were important indicators for intracranial infection. However, there were no models to predict the intracranial infection with these parameters. We collected data of 221 cases with CSF positive-culture and 50 cases with CSF negative culture from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2018 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, China. SPSS17.0 software was used to establish the model by adopting seven described indicators, and P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Meanwhile, 40 cases with positive-culture and 10 cases with negative-culture were selected to verify the sensitivity and specificity of the model. The results showed that each parameter was significant in the model establishment (P < 0.05). To extract the above seven parameters, the interpretation model C was established, and C = 0.952–0.183 × glucose value (mmol/L) - 0.024 × chloride ion value (mmol/L)- 0.000122 × protein value (mg/L) - 0.0000859 × number of leukocytes per microliter (× 10⁶/L) + 1.354 × color number code + 0.236 × turbidity number code + 0.691 × clot number code. In addition, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the model were 85.0 and 100%, respectively. The combining application of seven physicochemical parameters of CSF might be of great value in the diagnosis of intracranial infection for adult patients.

Intracranial Infections in Neurological Surgery: The Changes of Circular RNA Expression and Their Possible Function Mechanism

Methods

circRNA expression was analysed in six cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from three patients of the infectious and noninfectious phases using an Arraystar Human circRNA Array. Differentially altered circRNAs were validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in the 66 CSF samples of 33 patients of the infectious and noninfectious phases. t-test was used for statistical analysis. A bioinformatics analysis was employed to investigate the function mechanism of the circRNAs.

Results

Firstly, 142 circRNAs were found significantly different in 6 CSF samples of the infection and noninfection phases of 3 patients. Fourteen circRNAs with the top largest fold changes were chosen from the 142 circRNAs for PCR validation in the same 6 CSF samples of 3 patients. Three circRNAs were selected to be validated in 60 CSF samples of 30 patients using the PCR test. In infection CSF, an upregulated hsa_circRNA_402632 and downregulated hsa_circRNA_008636 and hsa_circRNA_405481 were confirmed by PCR test. A bioinformatics analysis was used to investigate the function mechanism of the 3 circRNAs. hsa_circRNA_402632 is enriched in the insulin resistance pathway, the FoxO and AMPK signaling pathways are the most important pathways for hsa_circRNA_008636 gene expression, and hsa_circRNA_405481 is enriched in the endometrial cancer signaling pathway, Fc epsilon RI signaling pathway, and TGF-beta signaling pathway.

Conclusions

hsa_circRNA_402632, hsa_circRNA_008636, and hsa_circRNA_405481 may be potential diagnostic markers for central nervous system infection after neurological surgery.