Adult Guidelines
Central Nervous System Infections

Central Nervous System Infections

  • Nearly all patients with bacterial meningitis have at least one of fever, neck stiffness, or altered mental state
  • Collect blood cultures PRIOR to initiation of antimicrobial therapy whenever possible
  • Optimally, collect CSF PRIOR to initiation of antimicrobial therapy whenever possible, but do not delay antimicrobials greater than 1 hour, especially in setting of a CT scan
  • Immunocompromise
  • History of CNS disease
  • New onset seizure
  • Papilledema
  • Abnormal level of consciousness
  • Focal neurologic deficit