Abstract
BACKGROUND:
External ventricular drains (EVDs) are associated with high rates of infection, and EVD infections cause substantial morbidity and mortality.
OBJECTIVE:
To determine whether the introduction of an evidence-based EVD infection control protocol could reduce the rate of EVD infections.
METHODS:
This was a retrospective analysis of an EVD infection control protocol introduced in a tertiary care neurointensive care unit. We compared rates of cerebrospinal fluid culture positivity and ventriculitis for the 3 years before and 3 years after the introduction of an evidence-based EVD infection control protocol. A total of 262 EVD placements were analyzed, with a total of 2499 catheter-days.
RESULTS:
The rate of cerebrospinal fluid culture positivity decreased from 9.8% (14 of 143; 11.43 per 1000 catheter-days) at baseline to 0.8% (1 of 119; 0.79 per 1000 catheter-days) in the EVD infection control protocol period (P = .001). The rate of ventriculitis decreased from 6.3% (9 of 143; 7.35 per 1000 catheter-days) to 0.8% (1 of 119; 0.79 per 1000 catheter-days; P = .02).
CONCLUSION:
The introduction of a simple, evidence-based infection control protocol was associated with a dramatic reduction in the risk of EVD infection.
O8‐2: Clinical impact by phenotyping empyema based on pleural fluid culture positivity and appearance: A 7‐year retrospective analysis
