Nosocomial Infections and Outcomes after Intracerebral Hemorrhage: A Population-Based Study

Background: Infections after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) may be associated with worse outcomes. We aimed to evaluate the association between nosocomial infections (>48 h) and outcomes of ICH at a population level. Methods: We identified patients with ICH using ICD-9-CM codes in the 2002–2011 Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Demographics, comorbidities, surgical procedures, and hospital characteristics were compared between patients with and without concomitant nosocomial infections. Primary outcomes were in-hospital mortality and home discharge. Secondary outcome was permanent cerebrospinal shunt placement. Logistic regression analyses were used to analyze the association between infections and outcomes. Results: Among 509,516 ICH patients, infections occurred in 117,636 (23.1 %). Rates of infections gradually increased from 18.7 % in 2002–2003 to 24.1 % in 2010–2011. Pneumonia was the most common nosocomial infection (15.4 %) followed by urinary tract infection (UTI) (7.9 %). Patients with infections were older (p < 0.001), predominantly female (56.9 % vs. 47.9 %, p < 0.001), and more often black (15.0 % vs. 13.4 %, p < 0.001). Nosocomial infection was associated with longer hospital stay (11 vs. 5 days, p < 0.001) and a more than twofold higher cost of care (p < 0.001). In the adjusted regression analysis, patients with infection had higher odds of mortality [odds ratio (OR) 2.11, 95 % CI 2.08–2.14] and cerebrospinal shunt placement (OR 2.19, 95 % CI 2.06–2.33) and lower odds of home discharge (OR 0.49, 95 % CI 0.47–0.51). Similar results were observed in subgroup analyses of individual infections. Conclusions: In a nationally representative cohort of ICH patients, nosocomial infection was associated with worse outcomes and greater resource utilization.