Prognostic factors of adult tuberculous meningitis in intensive care unit: a single-center retrospective study in East China

BACKGROUND: Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is the most lethal form of tuberculosis worldwide. Data on critically ill TBM patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) of China are lacking. We tried to identify prognostic factors of adult TBM patients admitted to ICU in China. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study on adult TBM in ICU between January 2008 and April 2018. Factors associated with unfavorable outcomes at 28 days were identified by logistic regression. Factors associated with 1-year mortality were studied by Cox proportional hazards modeling. RESULTS: Eighty adult patients diagnosed with TBM (age 38.5 (18–79) years, 45 (56 %) males) were included in the study. An unfavorable outcome was observed in 39 (49 %) patients and were independently associated with Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II > 23 (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 5.57, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.55–19.97), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) > 8 (aOR 9.74, 95 % CI 1.46–64.88), and mechanical ventilation (aOR 18.33, 95 % CI 3.15–106.80). Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified two factors associated with 1-year mortality: APACHE II > 23 (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 4.83; 95 % CI 2.21–10.55), and mechanical ventilation (aHR 9.71; 95 % CI 2.31–40.87). CONCLUSIONS: For the most severe adult TBM patients of Medical Research Council (MRC) stage III, common clinical factors aren’t effective enough to predict outcomes. Our study demonstrates that the widely used APACHE II and SOFA scores on admission can be used to predict short-term outcomes, while APACHE II could also be used to predict long-term outcomes of adult patients with TBM in ICU. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12883-021-02340-3.