Clinical features and risk factors of surgical site infections in HIV-negative patients with cryptococcal meningitis underwent ventriculoperitoneal shunt operations: a retrospective study

Background To investigate the clinical features and risk factors of ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) associated surgical site infections (SSIs) in HIV-negative patients with cryptococcal meningitis (CM). Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of HIV-negative patients with CM underwent VPS operation admitted to The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University in Southwest China over the past 7 years. Results 193 patients were included, of whom 25 (12.95%) had SSIs in 6 (median duration, 1-48 days) days after operation. Compared with patients without SSIs, patient with SSIs tended to be shorter preoperative stay. 52% patients in SSIs group and 25% patients in no-SSIs group underwent VPS operations within 3 days after admission (p = 0.017). Although body temperature and infectious indicators slightly elevated postoperative in both groups. The patients with SSIs experienced more fever; more central nervous system symptoms; higher PCT value and lower cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) glucose in contrast to the no-SSIs group. Multivariate regression analysis found a 2.653 fold increase in the risk of infection for every 1 degrees C increase in postoperative body temperature. Among the 25 patients, 9 patients had positive culture results, three samples reported to be oxacillin resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococci. Conclusions SSIs was one of the serious surgical complications after VPS operation. High body temperature, the occurrence of dizziness and headache, low postoperative hemoglobin are risk factors. Postoperative patients with high fever, high PCT and low CSF glucose should be paid more attention to.