Background Postneurosurgical meningitis (PNM) is a serious medical condition with high mortality and morbidity caused by Gram positive organisms like Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative organisms like Acinetobacter baumannii. Optimum concentration of antibiotics in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to treat these infections is difficult to achieve. Intraventricular antibiotic administration bypasses the blood–brain barrier and can achieve high CSF concentration without causing systemic toxicity.

Methods Retrospective review of all patient records were done to identify patients who developed postneurosurgical meningitis and received intraventricular antibiotic therapy during the period of July 2017 to December 2022. Demographic and clinical data along with the type of antibiotic, route, dose, and duration of administration were collected. CSF parameters before and after intraventricular antibiotic administration were collected and analyzed.

Results Twenty-six patients with postneurosurgical meningitis received intraventricular antibiotic therapy. Intracranial tumors were the most common underlying pathology followed by aneurysms. In all, 17/26 patients had received vancomycin and 9/26 patients had received colistin. External ventricular drain was used in 17/26 cases and Ommaya reservoir was used in 9/26 cases. Six patients showed growth of organism in CSF before starting intraventricular antibiotics, while one patient remained culture positive despite treatment. Of the 26 patients, 3 died despite treatment. There were significant changes in the CSF parameters after intraventricular antibiotic therapy.

Conclusion Intraventricular administration of antibiotic provides an alternative therapeutic option in the management of patients who are not responding or poorly responding to systemic antibiotics.

Written informed consent was obtained from the patients for publication.

A.S. conceived the study and reviewed the manuscript and was involved in patient care. D.D. and A.P. prepared the material and collected the data. A.Pat., S.B., and R.N.S. were involved in patient care and reviewing the manuscript.

Received: 12 July 2023

Accepted: 22 April 2024

Accepted Manuscript online:
24 April 2024

Article published online:
20 August 2024

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