ArticlePloS one2018
Topical vancomycin reduces the cerebrospinal fluid shunt infection rate: A retrospective cohort study.
Article in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 28 citations in OpenAlex.
- A meta-analysis examined the effect of intrawound vancomycin on surgical site wound infections in non-spinal neurosurgical operation.International wound journal · 2023Pooled it
- Route of antibiotic prophylaxis for prevention of cerebrospinal fluid-shunt infection.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- Antibiotic prophylaxis and infection risk in pediatric ventriculoperitoneal shunt surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of pediatrics · 2026Review
- Survival outcomes and risk factors for ventriculo-peritoneal shunt failure in pediatric hydrocephalus: a multi-center cohort study in Vietnam.Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery · 2026Article
- Minimally invasive abdominal catheter placement in ventriculoperitoneal shunt patients is associated with lower abdominal catheter complications: a single center experience.Langenbeck's archives of surgery · 2026Article
- Article
- Complications of external cerebrospinal fluid drainage in aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage.Acta neurochirurgica · 2021Article
- Efficacy of antibiotic-impregnated shunt versus conventional shunts to reduce cerebrospinal fluid infections in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Experimental and therapeutic medicine · 2020Article
- Bedside placement of ventricular access devices under local anaesthesia in neonates with posthaemorrhagic hydrocephalus: preliminary experience.Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery · 2019Article
- Prophylactic antibiotics in pediatric neurological surgery.Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery · 2018Review
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectDespite many efforts at reduction, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt infections are a major cause of morbidity in shunt surgery, occurring in 5-15% of cases. To attempt to reduce the shunt infection rate at our institution, we added topical vancomycin (intrashunt and perishunt) to our existing shunt infection prevention protocol in 2012.
methodsWe performed a retrospective cohort study comparing all shunted patients in January 2010 to December 2011 without vancomycin (control group, 263 procedures) to all patients who underwent shunt surgery between April 2012 and December 2015 with vancomycin (intervention group, 499 procedures).
resultsThe overall shunt infection rate significantly decreased from 6.8% (control group) to 3.0% (intervention group) (p = 0.023, absolute risk reduction 3.8%, relative risk reduction 56%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis confirmed that the addition of topical vancomycin showed that cases treated under a protocol of topical vancomycin were associated with a decreased shunt infection rate (odds ratio [OR] 0.49 95% CI 0.25-0.998; p = 0.049). Age < 1 year was associated with an increased risk of infection (OR) 4.41, 95% CI 2,10-9,26; p = 0.001). Time from surgery to infection was significantly prolonged in the intervention group (p = 0.001).
conclusionAdding intraoperative vancomycin to a shunt infection prevention protocol significantly reduces CSF shunt infection rate.
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