Clinical features, etiologies, and outcomes in adult patients with meningoencephalitis requiring intensive care (EURECA): an international prospective multicenter cohort study

on behalf of the EURECA Investigator Study Group

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Abstract

Purpose: We aimed to characterize the outcomes of patients with severe meningoencephalitis requiring intensive care. Methods: We conducted a prospective multicenter international cohort study (2017–2020) in 68 centers across 7 countries. Eligible patients were adults admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with meningoencephalitis, defined by an acute onset of encephalopathy (Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score ≤ 13), a cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis ≥ 5 cells/mm3, and at least two of the following criteria: fever, seizures, focal neurological deficit, abnormal neuroimaging, and/or electroencephalogram. The primary endpoint was poor functional outcome at 3 months, defined by a score of three to six on the modified Rankin scale. Multivariable analyses stratified on centers investigated ICU admission variables associated with the primary endpoint. Results: Among 599 patients enrolled, 589 (98.3%) completed the 3-month follow-up and were included. Overall, 591 etiologies were identified in those patients which were categorized into five groups: acute bacterial meningitis (n = 247, 41.9%); infectious encephalitis of viral, subacute bacterial, or fungal/parasitic origin (n = 140, 23.7%); autoimmune encephalitis (n = 38, 6.4%); neoplastic/toxic encephalitis (n = 11, 1.9%); and encephalitis of unknown origin (n = 155, 26.2%). Overall, 298 patients (50.5%, 95% CI 46.6–54.6%) had a poor functional outcome, including 152 deaths (25.8%). Variables independently associated with a poor functional outcome were age > 60 years (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.22–2.51), immunodepression (OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.27–3.08), time between hospital and ICU admission > 1 day (OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.44–2.99), a motor component on the GCS ≤ 3 (OR 2.23, 95% CI 1.49–3.45), hemiparesis/hemiplegia (OR 2.48, 95% CI 1.47–4.18), respiratory failure (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.05–2.94), and cardiovascular failure (OR 1.72, 95% CI 1.07–2.75). In contrast, administration of a third-generation cephalosporin (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.37–0.78) and acyclovir (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.38–0.80) on ICU admission were protective. Conclusion: Meningoencephalitis is a severe neurologic syndrome associated with high mortality and disability rates at 3 months. Actionable factors for which improvement could be made include time from hospital to ICU admission, early antimicrobial therapy, and detection of respiratory and cardiovascular complications at admission.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)517-529
Number of pages13
JournalIntensive care medicine
Volume49
Issue number5
Early online date2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2023

Keywords

  • Encephalitis
  • Intensive care unit
  • Meningitis
  • Meningoencephalitis
  • Outcome

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