Hospital-Acquired Infections after Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Nationwide Analysis

BACKGROUND: This is the first nationwide study to evaluate the factors associated with developing hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and analyze their impact on the efficiency of hospital care. METHODS: Data from patients with SAH who underwent aneurysm repair were extracted from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (2008-2011). Urinary tract infections, pneumonia, central venous catheter (CVC)-associated blood stream infection, and meningitis/ventriculitis were evaluated. Independent predictors of HAIs used in multivariable logistic regression modeling were chosen using forward selection; hierarchical multivariable linear regression assessed length of stay and charges. RESULTS: Seven thousand five hundred sixteen admissions were included. Independent predictors in the logistic regression for developing a urinary tract infection (23.9%) included older age, female sex, noninfectious complications (P < 0.001), intracerebral hemorrhage (P = 0.009), and diabetes with complications (P = 0.04). Pneumonia (23.0%) was associated with older age (P = 0.003), congestive heart failure, severity of SAH, and noninfectious complications (P < 0.001). Severity of SAH and noninfectious complications were predictors of meningitis/ventriculitis (4.4%; P <= 0.02), whereas intracerebral hemorrhage and noninfectious complications were predictors of CVC-associated infections 1.0%; P <= 0.02). All HAIs were associated with significantly longer hospitalizations and higher charges. Pneumonia (odds ratio [OR], 2.85; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.44-3.34) and CVC-associated infections (OR, 2.42; 95% CI, 1.26-4.66) were also independently associated with greater odds of poor outcome (death or institutional care). CONCLUSION: In this nationwide analysis, urinary tract infections and pneumonia were the most common hospital-acquired infections after SAH. Although all infections were associated with significantly longer hospitalizations and greater charges, pneumonia and CVC-associated infections were also associated with increased likelihood of a poor outcome.