Improving the diagnosis of central nervous system infections in adults through introduction of a simple lumbar puncture pack.
BACKGROUND
Acute central nervous system (CNS) infections, such as meningitis and encephalitis, are neurological emergencies for which accurate diagnosis and prompt treatment improve the outcome. Analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) obtained at lumbar puncture (LP) is pivotal to establishing the diagnosis and guiding management. PCR analysis of the CSF is an important method to identify the pathogen. However, recent studies have demonstrated that many patients have inadequate CSF sample collection and analysis.


OBJECTIVE
To increase the proportion of patients having an LP for a suspected CNS infection for whom the appropriate samples are taken. Secondary aims included to increase the proportion of patients for whom a pathogen was identified.


METHODS
The authors developed an LP pack for patients with a suspected CNS infection. They also assessed its impact on diagnosis by comparing practice 6 months before and after its introduction to the medical admissions unit of a large inner city teaching hospital.


RESULTS
The authors found that the LP pack reduced major errors in CSF sample collection and improved the diagnosis of acute CNS infections; among those patients who had a CSF pleocytosis, the proportion with a viral or bacterial pathogen identified by PCR was increased after introduction of the pack.


CONCLUSIONS
This study has demonstrated that the introduction of a simple low-cost LP pack into a busy acute medical setting can improve the diagnosis of CNS infections and, thus, guide treatment. Further work is needed to see if these results are more widely reproducible, and to examine the clinical, health and economic impact on overall management of patients with suspected CNS infections.
Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, West Derby Street, Liverpool L69 7BE, UK. benedict.michael@liverpool.ac.uk
Benedict Daniel
BD
Michael
Graham
G
Powell
Sarah
S
Curtis
Lisa
L
Bailey
Solomon
S
Almond
Fiona
F
McGill
David
D
Cousins
Ian J
IJ
Hart
Michael
M
Griffiths
Rachel
R
Kneen
Tom
T
Solomon
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002494:Central Nervous System Infections / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000175:diagnosis; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000382:microbiology; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013129:Spinal Puncture / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult