REDUCTION OF INFECTIONS AFTER USING SILVER-BEARING EXTERNAL
VENTRICULAR CATHETERS: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY
Hadjigeorgiou GF, Zisakis A, Markogiannakis G, Hadjigeorgiou GF, Zisakis A, Markogiannakis G, Petrosyan T, Psilovassilopoulos G, Petrosyan T, Psilovassilopoulos G,
Hadjigeorgiou FG, Varsos VHadjigeorgiou FG, Varsos V
Department of Neurosurgery, Red Cross Hospital Athens, Greece
Keywords: infections, silver-bearing, catheters
The insertion of an external ventricular drainage (EVD) for the treatment of acute hydrocephalus is one of the most commonly performed procedures in neurosurgery.
EVD-related infections may lead to further serious complications such as ventriculitis, meningitis and brain abscess
Introduction
The aim of this article is to compare the compare the efficacy of silver-bearing EVD catheters for efficacy of silver-bearing EVD catheters for reducing the incidence of infection with reducing the incidence of infection with standard nonimpregnated EVD cathetersstandard nonimpregnated EVD catheters in neurosurgical patients.
Aim
Between January 2008 January 2008 and December 2011December 2011 58 58 patients with acute hydrocephalus of
various reasons were respectively reviewed. Exclusion criteria Exclusion criteria were
removal of EVD <24 hoursEVD <24 hours, suspected infection suspected infection before insertion of the
catheter and former EVD insertion former EVD insertion within the previous 30
days.
Material and Methods
The study group with silver-bearing EVDs silver-bearing EVDs consisted of 26 patients 26 patients and
The control group with standard EVD The control group with standard EVD catheters consisted of 32 patients32 patients.
After removal of the catheters, they were also assessed microbiologically for colonization of the catheter’s tip.
Material and Methods
Positive CSF culture or colonization of the catheter tip was found in
6 cases with silver-bearing EVDs (23,7%),6 cases with silver-bearing EVDs (23,7%), 10 cases in the control group (31,3%).10 cases in the control group (31,3%).
Results
Although the size of the sample is limited, this analysis indicates that silver-bearing silver-bearing EVD catheters are accompanied with smaller EVD catheters are accompanied with smaller rates of infection rates of infection in neurosurgical patients, when compared with standard EVDs
Discussion
