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. 2024 Jul;14(3):296-300.
doi: 10.1177/19418744241242957. Epub 2024 Mar 28.

Time to Confirmed Neuroinfectious Diagnoses: Diagnostic Testing and Resource Allocation

Rachelle Dugue  1   2 , Carla Kim  1 , Abhilasha Boruah  1   3 , Eileen Harrigan  1   4 , Yifei Sun  5 , Kiran T Thakur  1
Affiliations

Time to Confirmed Neuroinfectious Diagnoses: Diagnostic Testing and Resource Allocation

Rachelle Dugue et al. Neurohospitalist. 2024 Jul.

Abstract

Background and objectives: In a retrospective study evaluating the diagnostic approach of definitive neurological infections at a tertiary referral center, we assessed the time to diagnosis from presentation, number of diagnostic tests ordered, and modality of etiologic diagnosis.

Methods: A total of 111 confirmed clinical cases of neurological infections from 2010-2018 were reviewed. Definitive neuroinfectious diagnoses were defined by positive cerebrospinal (CSF) polymerase chain reaction (PCR)/antigen, CSF culture, CSF antibody, serology, or pathology tests.

Results: An etiologic diagnosis was determined at an average (SD) of 3.1 (5.9) days after presentation with an average (SD) of 27.7 (15.6) diagnostic tests ordered per workup.Viral neuro-infections were associated with lower intensive care unit (ICU) admission rates, shorter length of hospitalization, and fewer diagnostic tests ordered, as well as shorter time to definitive diagnosis (P < .05). Longer hospitalizations were associated with immunosuppression status regardless of infectious etiology (P < .001).

Discussion: Given the high morbidity and mortality of neuroinfectious disease, specifically meningitis and encephalitis, efficient diagnostic testing is imperative to facilitate the most appropriate clinical course of action with special attention to the specific patient population.

Keywords: central nervous system infections; diagnosis; neuroinfectious disease.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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