Ommaya reservoir infections: a 16-year retrospective analysis

Ommaya reservoirs (OmR) are used in the treatment of cancer yet risk factors and outcome of infection are not well characterized. We therefore examined our experience with this device.

Using administrative databases, we identified all patients with OmR in situ between 1993 and 2008 at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Charts were reviewed for laboratory, demographic, and clinical information.

During the study period, 616 patients with OmRs received care at MSKCC comprising 462,467 Ommaya-days. 34 patients with OmR infection were identified (5.5% of patients, 0.74 infections per 10,000 Ommaya-days). 32% of infections occurred within 30 days of OmR placement. Most (74%) OmR infections occurring after 30 days post-placement were associated with OmR access in the preceding 30 days. Recovered organisms included coagulase-negative staphylococci (56%) and Propionibacterium acnes (24%). 70% of patients had fever and/or headache and 69% had cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis. 50% of patients had the reservoir removed during treatment of the infection.

OmR infection occurs in one of every 20 persons with the device. A third of the infections appear related to OmR placement while the remainder may occur at any time and usually are associated with recent reservoir access. Treatment often includes device removal.