Resident Physician Allegheny Health Network Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Introduction: Cerebral abscesses are associated with significant morbidity and extended hospital stays, despite advances in medical treatment. No current model exits in evaluating factors influencing length of stay in this population.
Methods: A retrospective review was performed of all cerebral abscesses at our institution from 2016-2021. Post surgical abscesses and patient's with concurrent cerebral malignancy were excluded. Detailed clinical evidence was extract for each patient. A multiple quantile regression analysis was performed to analyze the data.
Results: Among the clinical and radiographic datapoints collected, only two points reached statistical significance for affecting length of stay. The presence of ventriculitis was associated with significantly higher length of stay (11 day LOS without ventriculitis vs 23 day LOS with ventriculitis, p = 0.0003). Time to surgery was also significant for increasing length of stay (OR 1.833, p = 0.0416). Abscess volume, location, mRS on admission, frailty score, and type of surgical intervention in addition to other clinical and radiographic factors were not significant in affecting LOS.
Conclusion : Ventriculitis and time to surgery were the only two factors found in our regression analysis to significantly affect LOS in cerebral abscess patients. In patients were surgery is planned, earlier surgery when possible can significantly reduce LOS and should be strongly considered.
