BACKGROUND: Emergency placement of an external ventricular drain (EVD) is one of the most frequently performed neurosurgical procedures. EVD-related infection continues to be a major challenge causing significant morbidity and costs. Bundle approaches have been shown to reduce infection rates; however, they are still not widely used, and observation periods often were rather short. METHODS: The present study evaluated the effect of a multi-item bundle approach for EVD placement and care on the occurrence of EVD-related infection. A before/after approach was used to compare groups of consecutive patients over 5-year epochs to control for bias and secondary confounding variables. RESULTS: The number of patients in the group before implementation of the bundle approach was 141 and 208 thereafter. There were no statistical differences in demographic and other variables. While 41/141 patients (29.1%) had an EVD-related infection before, this was the case in only 10/208 patients (4.8%) thereafter (p < 0.0001). The EVD-related infection rate was reduced from 13.7/1000 catheter days to 3.2/1000, and the 50% probability of an EVD-related infection in correlation to the mean duration of EVD placement was significantly lower (p < 0.0001). Routine EVD replacement was not helpful to reduce EVD-related infection. EVD-related infection rates remained low also over the next 8 years after the study was finished. CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of a multi-item bundle approach for EVD insertion and care resulted in a marked reduction of EVD-related infection. Long observation periods over 5 years and beyond confirm that short-term changes are sustained with continued use of such protocols.
BACKGROUND: Emergency placement of an external ventricular drain (EVD) is one of the most frequently performed neurosurgical procedures. EVD-related infection continues to be a major challenge causing significant morbidity and costs. Bundle approaches have been shown to reduce infection rates; however, they are still not widely used, and observation periods often were rather short. METHODS: The present study evaluated the effect of a multi-item bundle approach for EVD placement and care on the occurrence of EVD-related infection. A before/after approach was used to compare groups of consecutive patients over 5-year epochs to control for bias and secondary confounding variables. RESULTS: The number of patients in the group before implementation of the bundle approach was 141 and 208 thereafter. There were no statistical differences in demographic and other variables. While 41/141 patients (29.1%) had an EVD-related infection before, this was the case in only 10/208 patients (4.8%) thereafter (p < 0.0001). The EVD-related infection rate was reduced from 13.7/1000 catheter days to 3.2/1000, and the 50% probability of an EVD-related infection in correlation to the mean duration of EVD placement was significantly lower (p < 0.0001). Routine EVD replacement was not helpful to reduce EVD-related infection. EVD-related infection rates remained low also over the next 8 years after the study was finished. CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of a multi-item bundle approach for EVD insertion and care resulted in a marked reduction of EVD-related infection. Long observation periods over 5 years and beyond confirm that short-term changes are sustained with continued use of such protocols.
Authors: Griffin R Baum; Kristopher G Hooten; Dennis T Lockney; Kyle M Fargen; Nefize Turan; Gustavo Pradilla; Gregory J A Murad; Robert E Harbaugh; Michael Glantz Journal: J Neurosurg Date: 2017-01-13 Impact factor: 5.115
Authors: Zafer Cinibulak; Alfred Aschoff; Anani Apedjinou; Jan Kaminsky; Hans A Trost; Joachim K Krauss Journal: Acta Neurochir (Wien) Date: 2016-03-01 Impact factor: 2.216
Authors: Yaseen Arabi; Ziad A Memish; Hanan H Balkhy; Christine Francis; Ahmad Ferayan; Abdullah Al Shimemeri; Maha A Almuneef Journal: Am J Infect Control Date: 2005-04 Impact factor: 2.918
Authors: Nitin Agarwal; Prateek Agarwal; Ashley Querry; Anna Mazurkiewicz; Brittany Whiteside; Oscar C Marroquin; Stephen F Koscumb; Daniel A Wecht; Robert M Friedlander Journal: Neurosurgery Date: 2018-05-01 Impact factor: 4.654