Meningitis and a safe dexamethasone-eluting intracochlear electrode array. (July 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Stathopoulos, Dimitra; Chambers, Scott; Adams, Louise; Robins-Browne, Roy; Miller, Christopher; Enke, Ya Lang; Wei, Benjamin P C; O'Leary, Stephen; Cowan, Robert; Newbold, Carrie
• Is Part Of: Cochlear implants international. Volume 16:Number 4(2015)
• Page Start: 201
• Page End: 207
• Publication Date: 2015-07
• Subjects: Cochlear implants -- Periodicals; 617.882
• DOI: 10.1179/1754762814Y.0000000099
• Languages: German
• ISSNs: 1467-0100

Abstract

<abstract> <title> <x content-type="archive" xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <sec> <title>Objectives</title> <p>To evaluate the potential risk of pneumococcal meningitis associated with the use of a dexamethasone-eluting intracochlear electrode array as compared with a control array.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>Methods</title> <p>In two phases, adult Hooded–Wistar rats were implanted via the middle ear with an intracochlear array and were inoculated with <italic>Streptococcus pneumoniae</italic> 5 days post-surgery. Phase I created a dosing curve by implanting five groups (<italic>n</italic> = 6) with a control array, then inoculating 5 days later with different numbers of <italic>S. pneumoniae</italic>: 0 CFU, 10<sup>3</sup> CFU, 10<sup>4</sup> CFU, 10<sup>4</sup> CFU repeated, or 10<sup>5</sup> CFU (colony forming units). A target infection rate of 20% was aimed for and 10<sup>4</sup> CFU was the closest to this target with 33% infection rate. In phase II, we implanted two groups (<italic>n</italic> = 10), one with a dexamethasone-eluting array, the other a control array, and both groups were inoculated with 10<sup>4</sup> CFU of <italic>S. pneumoniae</italic> 5 days post-surgery.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>Results</title> <p>The dexamethasone-eluting array group had a 40% infection rate; the control array group had a 60% infection rate. This difference was not statistically significant with a <italic>P</italic> value of ≥0.5.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>Conclusion</title> <p>The use of a dexamethasone-eluting intracochlear electrode array did not increase the risk of meningitis in rats when inoculated with <italic>S. pneumoniae</italic> via the middle ear 5 days following implantation.</p> </sec> </abstract>