- Section 1 ICU organization and management
- Section 2 Pharmacotherapeutics
- Section 3 Resuscitation
- Section 4 The respiratory system
- Section 5 The cardiovascular system
- Section 6 The gastrointestinal system
- Section 7 Nutrition
- Section 8 The renal system
- Section 9 The neurological system
- Part 9.1 Anatomy and physiology
- Part 9.2 Neurological monitoring
- Part 9.3 Sleep disturbance
- Part 9.4 Agitation, confusion, and delirium
- Part 9.5 The unconscious patient
- Part 9.6 Seizures
- Part 9.7 Intracranial hypertension
- Part 9.8 Stroke
- Part 9.9 Non-traumatic subarachnoid haemorrhage
- Part 9.10 Meningitis and encephalitis
- Chapter 240 Epidemiology, diagnosis, and assessment of meningitis and encephalitis
- Chapter 241 Management of meningitis and encephalitis in the critically ill
- Part 9.11 Non-traumatic spinal injury
- Part 9.12 Neuromuscular syndromes
- Section 10 The metabolic and endocrine systems
- Section 11 The haematological system
- Section 12 The skin and connective tissue
- Section 13 Infection
- Section 14 Inflammation
- Section 15 Poisoning
- Section 16 Trauma
- Section 17 Physical disorders
- Section 18 Pain and sedation
- Section 19 General surgical and obstetric intensive care
- Section 20 Specialized intensive care
- Section 21 Recovery from critical illness
- Section 22 End-of-life care
(p. 1143) Management of meningitis and encephalitis in the critically ill
- Chapter:
- (p. 1143) Management of meningitis and encephalitis in the critically ill
- Author(s):
Simon Nadel
and Johnny Canlas
- DOI:
- 10.1093/med/9780199600830.003.0241
Management of CNS infections requires specific antimicrobial agents, as well as specific supportive treatment targeted at reducing raised intracranial pressure and other life-threatening complications. It is important that the need for management in an intensive care setting is considered early in the illness. Antibiotic resistance amongst the most common organisms causing bacterial meningitis is becoming more common and antibiotic therapy should be adjusted accordingly. Anti-inflammatory treatment such as steroids should be started as soon as possible in patients with proven acute bacterial meningitis. Optimally, this should be before or with the first dose of antibiotics. Vaccine research is progressing so that effective vaccines should be available in the future against all the common causes of bacterial meningitis and encephalitis, including Neisseria meningitidis serogroup b.
Access to the complete content on Oxford Medicine Online requires a subscription or purchase. Public users are able to search the site and view the abstracts for each book and chapter without a subscription.
Please subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you have purchased a print title that contains an access token, please see the token for information about how to register your code.
For questions on access or troubleshooting, please check our FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.
- Section 1 ICU organization and management
- Section 2 Pharmacotherapeutics
- Section 3 Resuscitation
- Section 4 The respiratory system
- Section 5 The cardiovascular system
- Section 6 The gastrointestinal system
- Section 7 Nutrition
- Section 8 The renal system
- Section 9 The neurological system
- Part 9.1 Anatomy and physiology
- Part 9.2 Neurological monitoring
- Part 9.3 Sleep disturbance
- Part 9.4 Agitation, confusion, and delirium
- Part 9.5 The unconscious patient
- Part 9.6 Seizures
- Part 9.7 Intracranial hypertension
- Part 9.8 Stroke
- Part 9.9 Non-traumatic subarachnoid haemorrhage
- Part 9.10 Meningitis and encephalitis
- Chapter 240 Epidemiology, diagnosis, and assessment of meningitis and encephalitis
- Chapter 241 Management of meningitis and encephalitis in the critically ill
- Part 9.11 Non-traumatic spinal injury
- Part 9.12 Neuromuscular syndromes
- Section 10 The metabolic and endocrine systems
- Section 11 The haematological system
- Section 12 The skin and connective tissue
- Section 13 Infection
- Section 14 Inflammation
- Section 15 Poisoning
- Section 16 Trauma
- Section 17 Physical disorders
- Section 18 Pain and sedation
- Section 19 General surgical and obstetric intensive care
- Section 20 Specialized intensive care
- Section 21 Recovery from critical illness
- Section 22 End-of-life care