scholarly journals Few Patient, Treatment, and Diagnostic or Microbiological Factors, Except Complications and Intermittent Negative Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Cultures During First CSF Shunt Infection, Are Associated With Reinfection

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. D. Simon ◽  
N. Mayer-Hamblett ◽  
K. B. Whitlock ◽  
M. Langley ◽  
J. R. W. Kestle ◽  
...  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 235-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamara D Simon ◽  
Matthew P Kronman ◽  
Kathryn B Whitlock ◽  
Samuel R Browd ◽  
Richard Holubkov ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Previous studies of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt infection treatment have been limited in size and unable to compare patient and treatment characteristics by infecting organism. Our objective was to describe variation in patient and treatment characteristics for children with first CSF shunt infection, stratified by infecting organism subgroups outlined in the 2017 Infectious Disease Society of America’s (IDSA) guidelines. Methods We studied a prospective cohort of children <18 years of age undergoing treatment for first CSF shunt infection at one of 7 Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network hospitals from April 2008 to December 2012. Differences between infecting organism subgroups were described using univariate analyses and Fisher’s exact tests. Results There were 145 children whose infections were diagnosed by CSF culture and addressed by IDSA guidelines, including 47 with Staphylococcus aureus, 52 with coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, 37 with Gram-negative bacilli, and 9 with Propionibacterium acnes. No differences in many patient and treatment characteristics were seen between infecting organism subgroups, including age at initial shunt, gender, race, insurance, indication for shunt, gastrostomy, tracheostomy, ultrasound, and/or endoscope use at all surgeries before infection, or numbers of revisions before infection. A larger proportion of infections were caused by Gram-negative bacilli when antibiotic-impregnated catheters were used at initial shunt placement (12 of 23, 52%) and/or subsequent revisions (11 of 23, 48%) compared with all other infections (9 of 68 [13%] and 13 of 68 [19%], respectively). No differences in reinfection were observed between infecting organism subgroups. Conclusions The organism profile encountered at infection differs when antibiotic-impregnated catheters are used, with a higher proportion of Gram-negative bacilli. This warrants further investigation given increasing adoption of antibiotic-impregnated catheters.


1987 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janara J. Younger ◽  
James C.H. Simmons ◽  
Fred F. Barrett

AbstractWe determined the operative related cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt infection rates for our institution over a 3-year period (1982 to 1984) using strictly defined numerator and denominator data. The minimum post-operative follow-up period was 12 months. The average surgical infection risk for a CSF shunt procedure at our institution during the study period was 13.3%. Annual infection rates were relatively constant (13.8%, 13.2% and 12.9%), however both quarterly (5.7% to 23.3%) and surgeon-specific (5.7% to 22.8%) rates varied widely. Infection rates calculated by using “traditional” numerator and denominator data were considerably lower (6.5% to 9.2%).Operative related CSF shunt infection rates should be determined by utilizing strictly defined numerator and denominator values in order to allow valid comparisons of published rates.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. e0244643
Author(s):  
Kathryn B. Whitlock ◽  
Christopher E. Pope ◽  
Paul Hodor ◽  
Lucas R. Hoffman ◽  
David L. Limbrick ◽  
...  

Background Nearly 20% of patients with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt infection develop reinfection. It is unclear whether reinfections are caused by an organism previously present or are independent infection events. Objective We used bacterial culture and high throughput sequencing (HTS) of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes to identify bacteria present in serial CSF samples obtained from children who failed CSF shunt infection treatment. We hypothesized that organisms that persist in CSF despite treatment would be detected upon reinfection. Design/methods Serial CSF samples were obtained from 6 patients, 5 with 2 infections and 1 with 3 infections; the study was limited to those for which CSF samples were available from the end of infection and beginning of reinfection. Amplicons of the 16S rRNA gene V4 region were sequenced. Taxonomic assignments of V4 sequences were compared with bacterial species identified in culture. Results Seven infection dyads averaging 13.5 samples per infection were analyzed. A median of 8 taxa [interquartile range (IQR) 5–10] were observed in the first samples from reinfection using HTS. Conventional culture correlated with high abundance of an organism by HTS in all but 1 infection. In 6 of 7 infection dyads, organisms identified by culture at reinfection were detected by HTS of culture-negative samples at the end of the previous infection. The median Chao-Jaccard abundance-based similarity index for matched infection pairs at end of infection and beginning of reinfection was 0.57 (IQR 0.07–0.87) compared to that for unmatched pairs of 0.40 (IQR 0.10–0.60) [p = 0.46]. Conclusion(s) HTS results were generally consistent with culture-based methods in CSF shunt infection and reinfection, and may detect organisms missed by culture at the end of infection treatment but detected by culture at reinfection. However, the CSF microbiota did not correlate more closely within patients at the end of infection and beginning of reinfection than between any two unrelated infections. We cannot reject the hypothesis that sequential infections were independent.


2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (01) ◽  
pp. 110-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dr. Muhammad Sohaib Anwer ◽  
Dr. Muhammad Ali Waqas ◽  
Dr. Atta ur-Rehman Khan

Neurosurgery ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 657-665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erwin M. Brown ◽  
Richard J. Edwards ◽  
Ian K. Pople

Abstract OBJECTIVE: In patients with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt infection, removal of the shunt and antibiotic administration is the current standard of care. In 1986, we developed a protocol for the conservative management of patients with infected but functioning shunts. Treatment was based on the administration of a combination of intraventricular and systemic antibiotics. Intraventricular antibiotics were instilled via a separate access device. The purpose of this report is to describe our experience with this therapeutic intervention. METHODS: An observational study of all patients treated for CSF shunt infection between 1986 and 2003 was undertaken. Cure was defined by sterile CSF after completion of therapy and sterile shunt components at next revision or long-term freedom from recurrent infection (follow-up period, 6–88 mo). RESULTS: In total, 43 of 122 patients with CSF shunt infections were treated conservatively according to our protocol. Overall, 84% of these patients were cured, with a 92% success rate for patients with infections caused by bacteria other than Staphylococcus aureus. This included 30 coagulase-negative staphylococcal infections, of which two were treatment failures. We abandoned conservative treatment of patients with Staphylococcus aureus infections after early experience demonstrated that the success rate (four treatment failures in seven patients) was markedly lower than that for other pathogens. During the treatment and follow-up periods, there were three deaths, two of which were unrelated to shunt infection; treatment failure could not be completely excluded in the remaining patient. There was no toxicity related to intraventricular antibiotic administration. The incidence of shunt blockage among patients who were treated conservatively was not significantly different from that among a large cohort of patients with uninfected shunts. Ten patients received part of their courses of treatment as outpatients. CONCLUSION: The success rate of conservative management of patients with CSF shunt infections caused by coagulase-negative staphylococci is comparable with those in the published literature for patients treated conventionally. This form of management avoids surgical intervention, with its attendant risks, and is safe.


2001 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abhaya V. Kulkarni ◽  
James M. Drake ◽  
Maria Lamberti-Pasculli

Object. Hydrocephalus is a common condition of childhood that usually requires insertion of a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt. Infection is one of the most devastating complications that may arise from the presence of CSF shunts. In this study, the authors prospectively analyzed perioperative risk factors for CSF shunt infection in a cohort of children. Methods. Between 1996 and 1999, 299 eligible patients underwent CSF shunt operations (insertions and revisions) that were observed by a research nurse at a tertiary care pediatric hospital. Several perioperative variables were recorded. All cases were followed postoperatively for 6 months to note any development of CSF shunt infection. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyze the relationship between the variables and the development of shunt infection. Thirty-one patients (10.4%) experienced shunt infection. Three perioperative variables were significantly associated with an increased risk of shunt infection: 1) the presence of a postoperative CSF leak (hazard ratio [HR] 19.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] 6.96–52.91); 2) patient prematurity (< 40 weeks' gestation at the time of shunt surgery: HR 4.72, 95% CI 1.71–13.06); and 3) the number of times the shunt system was inadvertently exposed to breached surgical gloves (HR 1.07, 95% CI 1.02–1.12). Conclusions. Three variables associated with an increased incidence of shunt infection have been identified. Changes in clinical practice should address these variables, as follows. 1) Great care should be taken intraoperatively to avoid a postoperative CSF leak. 2) Alternatives to placement of a CSF shunt in premature infants should be studied. 3) Surgeons should minimize manual contact with the shunt system and consider the use of double gloves.


2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-28
Author(s):  
Matthew R. Test ◽  
Kathryn B. Whitlock ◽  
Marcie Langley ◽  
Jay Riva-Cambrin ◽  
John R. W. Kestle ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVEInfection is a common complication of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunts, occurring in 6%–20% of children. Although studies are limited, Staphylococcus aureus is thought to cause more rapid and aggressive infection than coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CONS) or gram-negative organisms. The authors’ objective was to evaluate the relationship between the causative organisms of CSF shunt infection and the timing of infection.METHODSThe authors performed a retrospective cohort study of children who underwent CSF shunt placement at a tertiary care children’s hospital over a 9-year period and subsequently developed a CSF shunt infection. The primary predictor variable was the causative organism recovered from CSF culture, characterized as S. aureus, CONS, or gram-negative organisms. The primary outcome was time to infection, defined as the number of days from most recent shunt intervention to the diagnosis of the infection. The association between causative organism and time to infection was visualized using Kaplan-Meier curves, and statistical comparisons were made using nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis tests.RESULTSAmong 103 children in whom a CSF shunt infection developed, the causative organism was CONS in 57 (55%), S. aureus in 19 (18%), and gram-negative organisms in 9 (9%). The median time to infection did not differ (p = 0.81) for infections caused by CONS (20 days, IQR 11–40), S. aureus (26 days, IQR 12–95), and gram-negative organisms (23 days, IQR 17–34).CONCLUSIONSNo significant difference in time to infection based on the causative organism was observed among children with a CSF shunt infection.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2(May-August)) ◽  
pp. e932021
Author(s):  
John Kestle

OBJECT: The goal of this video lecture was to show the importance to research group organizing protocols to reduce cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt infection at Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network (HCRN) centers (from 8.7% to 5.7%). Antibiotic-impregnated catheters (AICs) were not part of the protocol but were used off protocol by some surgeons. The authors therefore began using a new protocol that included AICs in an effort to reduce the infection rate further. The improvement of quality was related to reduce variation and improve outcome. METHODS The previous protocol was implemented at HCRN centers on January 1, 2012, for all shunt procedures (excluding external ventricular drains [EVDs], ventricular reservoirs, and subgaleal shunts). Compliance with the protocol and outcome events up to March 30, 2014, were recorded. The actual protocol is based on 7 points (HCRNq centers): intravenous antibiotics, skin preparation, hand scrub, double gloves, iodophoretic surgical field, catheter and antibiotics, and vancomycin irrigation RESULTS. Before protocol implementation in 30 participating centers, and 1318 subjects (1571 surgical cases) enrolled the overall infection rate was 6.0% (95% CI 5.1%-7.2%). The actual infection rate when using this new protocol has been analyzed. CONCLUSIONS CSF shunt procedures performed in compliance with a new infection prevention protocol at HCRNq centers had a lower infection rate than noncompliant procedures. Based on the current data, HCRNq centers the role of AICs compared with other infection prevention measures is still under analysis.


2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 452-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken R. Winston ◽  
Susan A. Dolan

Object The goal of this study was to evaluate the problems encountered in monitoring CSF shunt infection, including the collection, analysis, and reporting of data. The authors propose a system that would produce more accurate, and hence more meaningful, information on shunt infection than do the methodologies and customs now in common use. Methods The authors reviewed and analyzed 19 years of quarterly records of a committee that has addressed CSF shunt infection in an ongoing manner. Results There are strong incentives, political and otherwise, to identify low rates of CSF shunt infection. Details of the composition and operation of a multidisciplinary approach to CSF shunt infection are summarized. Many factors affect the occurrence of shunt infection and its accurate assessment and reporting. Easily accessible sources for the identification of cases of shunt infections and for the assessment of an at-risk population often contain discrepancies in significant numbers. Conclusions Multidisciplinary oversight of the entire matter of CSF shunt infection enhances the chances for collecting accurate data, identifying causes of infection, and developing effective preventative strategies. Valid data require a mechanism for finding all individuals within the at-risk pool; the accurate identification of patients who had shunt infections; standard, pragmatic, and robust criteria for diagnosis of shunt infection; and multidisciplinary oversight of the entire process.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document