Background Nosocomial meningitis is a medical emergency that requires early diagnosis, prompt initiation of therapy, and frequent admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in adult patients diagnosed with nosocomial meningitis who required admission to the ICU between April 2010 and March 2020. Meningitis/ventriculitis and intracranial infection were defined according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. Results: An incidence of 0.75% of nosocomial meningitis was observed among 70 patients. The mean patient age was 59 years and 34% were ≥65 years. Twenty-two percent of patients were in an immunocompromised state. A clear predisposing factor for nosocomial meningitis (traumatic brain injury, basal skull fracture, brain hemorrhage, central nervous system [CNS] invasive procedure or device) was present in 93% of patients. Fever was the most frequent clinical feature. A microbiological agent was identified in 30% of cases, of which 27% were bacteria, with a predominance of Gram-negative over Gram-positive. Complications developed in 47% of cases, 24% of patients were discharged with a Glasgow coma scale <14, and 37% died. There were no clear clinical predictors of complications. Advanced age (≥65 years old) and the presence of complications were associated with higher hospital mortality. Conclusions: Nosocomial meningitis in critical care has a low incidence rate but high mortality and morbidity. In critical care patients with CNS-related risk factors, a high level of suspicion for meningitis is warranted, but diagnosis can be hindered by several confounding factors.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Procalcitonin As Diagnostic Tool for CNS Infections—Overall, Not Good Enough (Yet?)* Michael A. Pizzi, Katharina M. Busl Critical Care Medicine.2024; 52(1): 163. CrossRef
A retrospective analysis of 20,178 adult neurological infection admissions to United Kingdom critical care units from 2001 to 2020 Joseph Donovan, Abena Glover, John Gregson, Andrew W. Hitchings, Emma C. Wall, Robert S. Heyderman BMC Infectious Diseases.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Clinical Characteristics, Treatment, and Outcomes of Veterans with Cerebrospinal Fluid Culture Positive for Gram-Negative Rod Bacteria: A Retrospective Analysis over 18 Years in 125 Veterans Health Administration Hospitals Shinya Hasegawa, Eiyu Matsumoto, Jennifer R. Carlson, Hiroyuki Suzuki Current Microbiology.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Confronting multidrug-resistantKlebsiellameningitis after mid-clival Cerebrospinal Fluid leak repair: a therapeutic odyssey Anbarasi Madoure, Dharanya Gopalakrishnan Srinivasan, Tejaswi Mishra, Lokesh Kumar Penubarthi BMJ Case Reports.2024; 17(6): e257872. CrossRef
Glioma grade and post-neurosurgical meningitis risk Sakke Niemelä, Jarmo Oksi, Jussi Jero, Eliisa Löyttyniemi, Melissa Rahi, Jaakko Rinne, Jussi P. Posti, Dan Laukka Acta Neurochirurgica.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Etiologies and comorbidities of meningitis deaths in children under 5 years in high-mortality settings: Insights from the CHAMPS Network in the post-pneumococcal vaccine era Sana Mahtab, Zachary J. Madewell, Vicky Baillie, Ziyaad Dangor, Sanjay G. Lala, Nega Assefa, Mulu Berihun, Lola Madrid, Lemma Demissie Regassa, J. Anthony G. Scott, Soter Ameh, Joseph S. Bangura, Okokon Ita, Erick Kaluma, Ikechukwu Udo Ogbuanu, Brigitte G Journal of Infection.2024; 89(6): 106341. CrossRef
Bacterial meningitis in adults: a retrospective study among 148 patients in an 8-year period in a university hospital, Finland Sakke Niemelä, Laura Lempinen, Eliisa Löyttyniemi, Jarmo Oksi, Jussi Jero BMC Infectious Diseases.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Bacterial meningitis in children with an abnormal craniocerebral structure Jiali Pan, Wei Xu, Wenliang Song, Tao Zhang Frontiers in Pediatrics.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Fieber in der Intensivmedizin Jan-Hendrik Naendrup, Boris Böll, Jorge Garcia Borrega Intensivmedizin up2date.2023; 19(01): 17. CrossRef
Neurosurgical management of penetrating brain injury during World War I: A historical cohort Rayan Fawaz, Mathilde Schmitt, Philémon Robert, Nathan Beucler, Jean-Marc Delmas, Nicolas Desse, Aurore Sellier, Arnaud Dagain Neurochirurgie.2023; 69(3): 101439. CrossRef
Etiology and Outcomes of Healthcare-Associated Meningitis and Ventriculitis—A Single Center Cohort Study Hana Panic, Branimir Gjurasin, Marija Santini, Marko Kutlesa, Neven Papic Infectious Disease Reports.2022; 14(3): 420. CrossRef
Healthcare-associated central nervous system infections Mariachiara Ippolito, Antonino Giarratano, Andrea Cortegiani Current Opinion in Anaesthesiology.2022; 35(5): 549. CrossRef