• JamjoomAimun A BAABDepartment of Clinical Neuroscience, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK., Alexis J Joannides, Michael Tin-Chung Poon, Aswin Chari, Malik Zaben, AbdullaMutwakil A HMAHDivision of Neurosurgery, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge and Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK., Joy Roach, Laurence J Glancz, Anna Solth, John Duddy, Paul M Brennan, Roger Bayston, Diederik O Bulters, Conor L Mallucci, Michael D Jenkinson, William P Gray, Jothy Kandasamy, Peter J Hutchinson, Angelos G Kolias, Aminul I Ahmed, and British Neurosurgical Trainee Research Collaborative.
• Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK.
• J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. 2018 Feb 1; 89 (2): 120126120-126.

ObjectivesExternal ventricular drain (EVD) insertion is a common neurosurgical procedure. EVD-related infection (ERI) is a major complication that can lead to morbidity and mortality. In this study, we aimed to establish a national ERI rate in the UK and Ireland and determine key factors influencing the infection risk.MethodsA prospective multicentre cohort study of EVD insertions in 21 neurosurgical units was performed over 6 months. The primary outcome measure was 30-day ERI. A Cox regression model was used for multivariate analysis to calculate HR.ResultsA total of 495 EVD catheters were inserted into 452 patients with EVDs remaining in situ for 4700 days (median 8 days; IQR 4-13). Of the catheters inserted, 188 (38%) were antibiotic-impregnated, 161 (32.5%) were plain and 146 (29.5%) were silver-bearing. A total of 46 ERIs occurred giving an infection risk of 9.3%. Cox regression analysis demonstrated that factors independently associated with increased infection risk included duration of EVD placement for ≥8 days (HR=2.47 (1.12-5.45); p=0.03), regular sampling (daily sampling (HR=4.73 (1.28-17.42), p=0.02) and alternate day sampling (HR=5.28 (2.25-12.38); p<0.01). There was no association between catheter type or tunnelling distance and ERI.ConclusionsIn the UK and Ireland, the ERI rate was 9.3% during the study period. The study demonstrated that EVDs left in situ for ≥8 days and those sampled more frequently were associated with a higher risk of infection. Importantly, the study showed no significant difference in ERI risk between different catheter types.© Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

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