Functional outcomes in adults with tuberculous meningitis admitted to the ICU: a multicenter cohort study

BACKGROUND: Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is a devastating infection in tuberculosis endemic areas with limited access to intensive care. Functional outcomes of severe adult TBM patients admitted to the ICU in nonendemic areas are not known. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective multicenter cohort study (2004–2016) of consecutive TBM patients admitted to 12 ICUs in the Paris area, France. Clinical, biological, and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings at admission associated with a poor functional outcome (i.e., a score of 3–6 on the modified Rankin scale (mRS) at 90 days) were identified by logistic regression. Factors associated with 1-year mortality were investigated by Cox proportional hazards modeling. RESULTS: We studied 90 patients, of whom 61 (68%) had a score on the Glasgow Coma Scale ≤ 10 at presentation and 63 (70%) required invasive mechanical ventilation. Brain MRI revealed infarction and hydrocephalus in 38/75 (51%) and 25/75 (33%) cases, respectively. A poor functional outcome was observed in 55 (61%) patients and was independently associated with older age (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.03, 95% CI 1.0–1.07), cerebrospinal fluid protein level ≥ 2 g/L (aOR 5.31, 95% CI 1.67–16.85), and hydrocephalus on brain MRI (aOR 17.2, 95% CI 2.57–115.14). By contrast, adjunctive steroids were protective (aOR 0.13, 95% CI 0.03–0.56). The multivariable adjusted hazard ratio of adjunctive steroids for 1-year mortality (47%, 95% CI 37%–59%) was 0.23 (95% CI 0.11–0.44). Among survivors at 1 year, functional independence (mRS of 0–2) was observed in 27/37 (73%, 95% CI 59%–87%) cases. CONCLUSIONS: A poor functional outcome in adult TBM patients admitted to the ICU in a nonendemic area is observed in 60% of cases and is independently associated with elevated cerebrospinal fluid protein level and hydrocephalus. Our data also suggest a protective effect of adjunctive steroids, with reduced disability and mortality, irrespective of immune status and severity of disease at presentation. One-year follow-up revealed functional independence in most survivors. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s13054-018-2140-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.