[Acute iatrogenic meningitis due to Streptococcus salivarius after spinal anesthesia]

[Doses of anti-infectives for systemic use are scarcely notified in clinical cases reported to the Revista Española de Anestesiología y Reanimación]

OBJECTIVE

To describe the frequency of dose notification of antiinfectives for systemic use in clinical cases published in Revista Española de Anestesiología y Reanimación.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

Review of individualized clinical cases published in the sections «Clinical case» or «Letter to the Editor» of the above mentioned journal from year 2010 to 2012, and identification of the drugs and their therapeutic regimens cited in such publications, being dose notification the main variable. Drugs have been classified according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System.

RESULTS

One thousand one hundred and thirty-five drugs cited 1,317 times were identified in 167 articles describing the clinical pictures of 182 patients, 73 of the citations (5.6%) regarding to drugs belonging to group J (Antiinfectives for systemic use) which were divided into perioperative prophylaxis (n=15) and active treatment (n=58). Doses were scarcely notified for group J drugs as a whole (27.4%), but especially for active treatment (17.2%) compared to perioperative prophylaxis (66.7%), percentage which was similar to those more classical anesthetic drugs (fentanyl: 86.6%; remifentanil: 70.5%; sevoflurane: 78%; propofol: 79%; rocuronium:79.6%; cisatracurium: 68.4%) or even for antiemetics (ondansetron: 92.3%; dexamethasone: 84.6%).

CONCLUSIONS

Quality of case reports could be improved by including dose notification for antiinfective agents.

Clinical and laboratory features of Streptococcus salivarius meningitis: a case report and literature review

Streptococcus salivarius is a normal member of the human oral microbiome that is an uncommon cause of invasive infections. Meningitis is a rare but increasingly reported infection caused by S. salivarius. Despite the growing number of reported cases, a comprehensive review of the literature on S. salivarius meningitis is lacking. We sought to gain a better understanding of the clinical presentation, evaluation, management, and outcome of S. salivarius meningitis by analyzing previously reported cases. In addition to a single case reported here, 64 previously published cases of meningitis were identified for this review. The collected data confirm that most patients presented with classical signs and symptoms of bacterial meningitis with a predominance of neutrophils in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and hypoglycorrhachia. The majority of cases followed iatrogenic or traumatic CSF contamination. Most cases were diagnosed by CSF culture within one day of symptom onset. There was no clear evidence of predisposing co-morbid conditions in patients with meningitis, although in most case reports, limited information was given on the medical history of each patient. Outcomes were generally favorable with antibiotic management. Clinicians should suspect S. salivarius meningitis in patients presenting acutely after medical or surgical procedures involving the meninges.