Abstract
BackgroundIntracranial infection, serving as a severe postoperative infection after craniotomy, poses significant problems for patients' outcomes.ObjectiveTo explore risk factors for intracranial infection after craniotomy.MethodsA 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.ResultsThere 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.ConclusionIdentifying the risk factors, pathogens, and pathogens' antibiotic resistance for intracranial infection after craniotomy plays an important role in the prognosis of patients.
Highlights
Craniotomy, as a neurosurgical procedure, has been performed more than a century and is characterized by performing within the intracranial space (Adaaquah, Gates, & Van Gompel, 2018; Gonzalez-Darder, 2016)
Some factors were related to intracranial infection including age ≤45 (OR = 2.738, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.737–4.318), hypertension (OR = 1.903, 95% CI: 1.225–2.957), tumor surgery (OR = 2.287, 95% CI: 1.476–3.545), surgical duration ≥4 hr (OR = 1.973, 95% CI: 1.251–3.113), intraoperative blood loss ≥400 ml (OR = 1.871, 95% CI: 1.167–3.001), TA B L E 2 Univariate analysis of potential risk factors for intracranial infection after craniotomy
The rate was similar to the previous study, which reported that the incidence of intracranial infection after craniotomy was from 1.4% to 9.5% (Shi et al, 2017)
Summary
Craniotomy, as a neurosurgical procedure, has been performed more than a century and is characterized by performing within the intracranial space (Adaaquah, Gates, & Van Gompel, 2018; Gonzalez-Darder, 2016). It is of great significance to explore risk factors for intracranial infection after craniotomy in order to timely prevent it. Intracranial infection, serving as a severe postoperative infection after craniotomy, poses significant problems for patients' outcomes. 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. Conclusion: Identifying the risk factors, pathogens, and pathogens' antibiotic resistance for intracranial infection after craniotomy plays an important role in the prognosis of patients
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