title: Neuro-intensive treatment targeting intracranial hypertension improves outcome in severe bacterial meningitis: an intervention-control study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the efficacy of early intracranial pressure (ICP)-targeted treatment, compared to standard intensive care, in adults with community acquired acute bacterial meningitis (ABM) and severely impaired consciousness.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospectively designed intervention-control comparison study of adult cases from September 2004 to January 2012.
  
  
  METHODS
  Included patients were confirmed ABM-cases, aged 16-75 years, with severely impaired mental status on admission. Fifty-two patients, given ICP-targeted treatment at the neuro-intensive care unit, and 53 control cases, treated with conventional intensive care, were included. All the patients received intensive care with mechanical ventilation, sedation, antibiotics and corticosteroids according to current guidelines. Additional ICP-treatment in the intervention group included cerebrospinal fluid drainage using external ventricular catheters (n = 48), osmotherapy (n = 21), hyperventilation (n = 13), external cooling (n = 9), gram-doses of methylprednisolone (n = 3) and deep barbiturate sedation (n = 2) aiming at ICP <20 mmHg and a cerebral perfusion pressure of >50 mmHg.
  
  
  METHODS
  The primary endpoint was mortality at two months and secondary endpoint was Glasgow outcome score and hearing ability at follow-up at 2-6 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mortality was significantly lower in the intervention group compared to controls, 5/52 (10%) versus 16/53 (30%; relative risk reduction 68%; p<0.05). Furthermore, only 17 patients (32%) in the control group fully recovered compared to 28 (54%) in the intervention group (relative risk reduction 40%; p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Early neuro-intensive care using ICP-targeted therapy, mainly cerebrospinal fluid drainage, reduces mortality and improves the overall outcome in adult patients with ABM and severely impaired mental status on admission.
authors.affiliation: Unit for Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Glimåker
authors.affiliation: Unit for Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Bibi
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Halla
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Halldorsdottir
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wanecek
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Section for Neurosurgery, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Elmi-Terander
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Per Hamid
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Ghatan
authors.affiliation: Unit for Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lindquist
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Section for Neurosurgery, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Bo Michael
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Bellander
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D004322:Drainage / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D023261:Glasgow Outcome Scale; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D019586:Intracranial Hypertension / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D007427:Intracranial Pressure; D008297:Male; D016920:Meningitis, Bacterial / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D055815:Young Adult