title: External Ventricular Drain-Related Infection in Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to analyze infection rates in patients with spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage who underwent surgical external ventricular drain (EVD) placement.
  
  
  METHODS
  This prospective study included 94 consecutive patients who required an EVD for spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage at the Neurosurgery Department of Hospital Cristo Redentor, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean duration of EVD use was 7 days. Overall sample mortality was 45%, and overall infection rate was 36%. Patients who had an EVD in place >10 days had higher odds of infection than patients who had an EVD in place ≤10 days (odds ratio = 3.1, 95% confidence interval, 1.1-8.7). Culture positivity rate was 5.3%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that EVD infection is a very common complication, occurring in 36.2% of cases. We adopted ventriculitis as the standard diagnosis, as advocated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Considering the high lethality associated with intracranial hemorrhage, use of a more aggressive treatment protocol for this patient population might improve morbidity and mortality rates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Cristo Redentor, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital de Pronto Socorro, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Electronic address: samirdossantos@terra.com.br.
authors.forename: Samir Cezimbra
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Dos Santos
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Telmo Tiburcio
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Fortes Lima
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Cristo Redentor, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luciano Werle
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Lunardi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marco Antonio
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Stefani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D055499:Catheter-Related Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000601:surgery*; D058565:Cerebral Ventriculitis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020300:Intracranial Hemorrhages / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000601:surgery*; D013997:Time Factors; D014696:Ventriculostomy
keywords: Cerebral hemorrhage; Cerebral ventriculitis; Ventriculostomy