 |
Case Report
Successful treatment of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii ventriculitis with continuous ventricular irrigation combined with intravenous tigecycline: A case report
1 Department of Neurosurgery, Shenzhen Nanshan People’s Hospital (Affiliated Nanshan Hospital of Shenzhen University), Shenzhen, China
2 Department of Critical Care Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, China
Address correspondence to:
Guoqiang Qin
Department of Neurosurgery, Shenzhen Nanshan People’s Hospital (Affiliated Nanshan Hospital of Shenzhen University), Shenzhen,
China
Message to Corresponding Author
Article ID: 100019Z16YC2026
Access full text article on other devices
Access PDF of article on other devices
How to cite this article
Chen Y, Feng Y, Huang X, Qin G. Successful treatment of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii ventriculitis with continuous ventricular irrigation combined with intravenous tigecycline: A case report. J Case Rep Images Infect Dis 2026;9(1):1–8.ABSTRACT
Introduction: To report a case in which multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MDRAB) ventriculitis was successfully treated using continuous ventricular lavage combined with intravenous tigecycline, providing a reference for the clinical management of such complex intracranial infections. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of the diagnosis and treatment process for a patient with extensive MDRAB ventriculitis following moyamoya disease surgery. The treatment regimens included (1) intravenous combination therapy with high-dose tigecycline, cefoperazone/sulbactam, and meropenem; (2) neuroendoscopic ventriculomyelocele evacuation; and (3) continuous ventriculostomy irrigation with tigecycline solution via a ventriculostomy tube.
Case Report: A 50-year-old female patient was transferred to the Neurosurgery Intensive Care Unit at Huazhong University of Science and Technology Union Shenzhen Hospital. After 62 days of intravenous tigecycline and 19 days of intraventricular tigecycline irrigation combined with neurosurgical intervention, the patient’s cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) white blood cell count decreased from 27,773 × 106/L to normal levels, and the intracranial infection was controlled. Transient coagulation disorders and elevated liver enzymes occurred during treatment but improved after symptomatic management. The patient ultimately improved and was discharged. At the 1-year post-operative follow-up, no recurrence of infection was observed.
Conclusion: For extensively drug-resistant AB ventriculitis in which first-line agents are unavailable because of drug availability or blood–brain barrier limitations, continuous ventricular lavage combined with intravenous tigecycline represents an effective salvage strategy. The success of this approach relies on multidisciplinary collaboration, thorough pharmacovigilance, and individualized neurosurgical management.
Keywords: Acinetobacter baumannii, Continuous ventricular irrigation, Multidrug resistance, Tigecycline
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Author Contributions
Yanting Chen - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Yi Feng - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Xuemei Huang - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Guoqiang Qin - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Guaranter of SubmissionThe corresponding author is the guarantor of submission.
Source of SupportNone
Consent StatementWritten informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this article.
Data AvailabilityAll relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files.
Conflict of InterestAuthors declare no conflict of interest.
Copyright© 2026 Yanting Chen et al. This article is distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original author(s) and original publisher are properly credited. Please see the copyright policy on the journal website for more information.
