TY  - JOUR
A1  - Spindler, Philipp
A1  - Faust, Katharina Angela
A1  - Finger, Tobias
A1  - Schneider, Gerd-Helge
A1  - Bayerl, Simon Heinrich
A1  - Trampuz, Andrej
A1  - Kühn, Andrea A.
A1  - Vajkoczy, Peter
A1  - Prinz, Vincent Matthias
T1  - High frequency of low-virulent microorganisms detected by sonication of implanted pulse generators: so what?
T2  - Stereotactic and functional neurosurgery
N2  - Introduction: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has become a well-established treatment modality for a variety of conditions over the last decades. Multiple surgeries are an essential part in the postoperative course of DBS patients if nonrechargeable implanted pulse generators (IPGs) are applied. So far, the rate of subclinical infections in this field is unknown. In this prospective cohort study, we used sonication to evaluate possible microbial colonization of IPGs from replacement surgery. Methods: All consecutive patients undergoing IPG replacement between May 1, 2019 and November 15, 2020 were evaluated. The removed hardware was investigated using sonication to detect biofilm-associated bacteria. Demographic and clinical data were analyzed. Results: A total of 71 patients with a mean (±SD) of 64.5 ± 15.3 years were evaluated. In 23 of these (i.e., 32.4%) patients, a positive sonication culture was found. In total, 25 microorganisms were detected. The most common isolated microorganisms were Cutibacterium acnes (formerly known as Propionibacterium acnes) (68%) and coagulase-negative Staphylococci (28%). Within the follow-up period (5.2 ± 4.3 months), none of the patients developed a clinical manifest infection. Discussions/Conclusions: Bacterial colonization of IPGs without clinical signs of infection is common but does not lead to manifest infection. Further larger studies are warranted to clarify the impact of low-virulent pathogens in clinically asymptomatic patients.
KW  - Antimicrobial treatment
KW  - Biofilm
KW  - Complications
KW  - Deep brain stimulation
KW  - Low-virulent infection
KW  - Sonication
Y1  - 2021
UR  - http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/62793
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-627939
SN  - 1423-0372
N1  - We acknowledge support from the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Open Access Publication Fund of Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin.
VL  - 100
IS  - 1
SP  - 8
EP  - 13
PB  - Karger
CY  - Basel
ER  -