Incidence and Risk Factors of Infection Caused by Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus Colonization in Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit Patients.

Se, Young Bem; Chun, Hyoung Joon; Yi, Hyeong Joong; Kim, Dong Won; Ko, Yong; Oh, Suck Jun

doi:2009.46.2.123

Original Article

Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society 2009;46(2): 123-129.
doi: https://doi.org/10.3340/jkns.2009.46.2.123

Incidence and Risk Factors of Infection Caused by Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus Colonization in Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit Patients.

Young Bem Se, Hyoung Joon Chun, Hyeong Joong Yi, Dong Won Kim, Yong Ko, Suck Jun Oh

¹Department of Neurosurgery, Hanyang University Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. hjyi8499@hanyang.ac.kr
²Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Hanyang University Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE
This study was aimed to identify the incidence and risk factors of vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE) colonization in neurosurgical practice of field, with particular attention to intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: This retrospective study was carried out on the Neurosurgical ICU (NICU), during the period from January. 2005 to December. 2007, in 414 consecutive patients who had been admitted to the NICU. Demographics and known risk factors were retrieved and assessed by statistical methods.
RESULTS
A total of 52 patients had VRE colonization among 414 patients enrolled, with an overall prevalence rate of 6.1%. E. faecium was the most frequently isolated pathogen, and 92.3% of all VRE were isolated from urine specimen. Active infection was noticed only in 2 patients with bacteremia and meningitis. Relative antibiotic agents were third-generation cephalosporin in 40%, and vancomycin in 23%, and multiple antibiotic usages were also identified in 13% of all cases. Multivariate analyses showed Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score less than 8, placement of Foley catheter longer than 2 weeks, ICU stay over 2 weeks and presence of nearby VRE-positive patients had a significantly independent association with VRE infection. CONCLUSION: When managing the high-risk patients being prone to be infected VRE in the NICU, extreme caution should be paid upon. Because prevention and outbreak control is of ultimate importance, clinicians should be alert the possibility of impending colonization and infection by all means available. The most crucial interventions are careful hand washing, strict glove handling, meticulous and active screening, and complete segregation.

Key Words: Glasgow coma scale score; Intensive care unit; Neurosurgery; Segregation; Vancomycin-resistant enterococcus