Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36529784›Full record

SynthesisActa neurochirurgica2023

Antibiotic prophylaxis in penetrating traumatic brain injury: analysis of a single-center series and systematic review of the literature.

Arjun Ganga, Owen P Leary, Rahul A Sastry, Wael F Asaad, Konstantina A Svokos, Adetokunbo A Oyelese, Leonard A Mermel

Open access · hybridAbstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Acta neurochirurgica, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
22citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
4.7field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

22 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 26 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Guideline
  3. Article
  4. Civilian penetrating traumatic brain injury in South-East Norway.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2026
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. The Approach to Cranioorbital Gunshot Wounds.Seminars in plastic surgery · 2025
    Review
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Review
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Review
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Arjun GangaDepartment of Neurosurgery, Warren Alpert School of Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903, USA.
Owen P LearyDepartment of Neurosurgery, Warren Alpert School of Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903, USA.
Rahul A SastryDepartment of Neurosurgery, Warren Alpert School of Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903, USA.
Wael F AsaadDepartment of Neurosurgery, Warren Alpert School of Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903, USA.
Konstantina A SvokosDepartment of Neurosurgery, Warren Alpert School of Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903, USA.
Adetokunbo A OyeleseDepartment of Neurosurgery, Warren Alpert School of Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903, USA.
Leonard A MermelDepartment of Epidemiology and Infection Control, Lifespan Hospital System, Providence, RI, 02903, USA. lmermel@lifespan.org.ORCID 0000-0002-8898-7406
Brown University · US

Funding

Emerging Infectious Disease Scholars at Brown UniversityR25AI140490 · NIAID · BROWN UNIVERSITY · PI Silvia Shinpei Chiang · 2018 to 2026
$3.0M
NIAID NIH HHS R25 AI140490
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposePenetrating traumatic brain injury (pTBI) is an acute medical emergency with a high rate of mortality. Patients with survivable injuries face a risk of infection stemming from foreign body transgression into the central nervous system (CNS). There is controversy regarding the utility of antimicrobial prophylaxis in managing such patients, and if so, which antimicrobial agent(s) to use.

methodsWe reviewed patients with pTBI at our institution and performed a PRISMA systematic review to assess the impact of prophylactic antibiotics on reducing risk of CNS infection.

resultsWe identified 21 local patients and 327 cases in the literature. In our local series, 17 local patients received prophylactic antibiotics; four did not. Overall, five of these patients (24%) developed a CNS infection (four and one case of intraparenchymal brain abscess and meningitis, respectively). All four patients who did not receive prophylactic antibiotics developed an infection (three with CNS infections; one superficial wound infection) compared to two of 17 (12%) patients who did receive prophylactic antibiotics. Of the 327 pTBI cases reported in the literature, 216 (66%) received prophylactic antibiotics. Thirty-eight (17%) patients who received antibiotics developed a CNS infection compared to 21 (19%) who did not receive antibiotics (p = 0.76).

conclusionsAlthough our review of the literature did not reveal any benefit, our institutional series suggested that patients with pTBI may benefit from prophylactic antibiotics. We propose a short antibiotic course with a regimen specific to cases with and without the presence of organic debris.

Indexed as

Brain Injuries, TraumaticHead Injuries, PenetratingWound InfectionAnti-Bacterial AgentsAntibiotic ProphylaxisHumansAnti-Bacterial AgentsCNS infectionGun violencePenetrating traumaTraumatic brain injury

Identifiers

PMID36529784
PMCPMC9922212
OpenAlexW4311927288

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.