Presence of vitronectin and activated complement factor C9 on ventriculoperitoneal shunts and temporary ventricular drainage catheters

1999 ◽  
Vol 90 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fredrik Lundberg ◽  
Dai-Qing Li ◽  
Dan Falkenback ◽  
Tor Lea ◽  
Peter Siesjö ◽  
...  

Object. The pathogenesis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt infection is characterized by staphylococcal adhesion to the polymeric surface of the shunt catheter. Proteins from the CSF—fibronectin, vitronectin, and fibrinogen—are adsorbed to the surface of the catheter immediately after insertion. These proteins can interfere with the biological systems of the host and mediate staphylococcal adhesion to the surface of the catheter. In the present study, the presence of fibronectin, vitronectin, and fibrinogen on CSF shunts and temporary ventricular drainage catheters is shown. The presence of fragments of fibrinogen is also examined.Methods. The authors used the following methods: binding radiolabeled antibodies to the catheter surface, immunoblotting of catheter eluates, and scanning force microscopy of immunogold bound to the catheter surface. The immunoblot showed that vitronectin was adsorbed in its native form and that fibronectin was degraded into small fragments. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that the level of vitronectin in CSF increased in patients with an impaired CSF—blood barrier. To study complement activation, an antibody that recognizes the neoepitope of activated complement factor C9 was used. The presence of activated complement factor C9 was shown on both temporary catheters and shunts.Conclusions. Activation of complement close to the surface of an inserted catheter could contribute to the pathogenesis of CSF shunt infection.

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.


1981 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 633-636 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myles E. Gombert ◽  
Sheldon H. Landesman ◽  
Michael L. Corrado ◽  
Sherman C. Stein ◽  
Ellen T. Melvin ◽  
...  

✓ Three patients with Staphylococcus epidermidis meningitis associated with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt devices were treated with a combination of intravenous vancomycin and oral rifampin. Two of the isolates were methicillin-resistant. All patients had a favorable clinical response. Time-kill curves showed that the addition of rifampin to vancomycin resulted in enhanced bactericidal activity against all isolates when compared to either antibiotic alone. This finding suggests that the combination of oral rifampin and intravenous vancomycin may be useful in the treatment of methicillin-resistant and recalcitrant methicillin-sensitive S. epidermidis meningitis associated with CSF shunts. In vitro susceptibility testing should be performed.


1982 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 570-573 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroshi Yamada

✓ A method of regulating flow rate through cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunts with the addition of a flow-regulating device (FRD) is reported. The FRD consists of a small-caliber (0.4 mm) Teflon tube placed in the usual connector. This device has the advantage of converting the original shunt valves to valves for higher-resistance flow without replacing the entire distal catheter. An experimental study revealed that this device reduced the CSF flow rate in the shunt system by approximately 30%. The author has found it reliable in 32 patients, without causing CSF obstruction. The device is easily installed and removed.


2012 ◽  
Vol 56 (6) ◽  
pp. 2842-2845 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Bayston ◽  
Gautham Ullas ◽  
Waheed Ashraf

ABSTRACTCerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunts used to treat hydrocephalus have an overall infection rate of about 10% of operations. The commonest causative bacteria areStaphylococcus epidermidis, followed byStaphylococcus aureusand enterococci. Major difficulties are encountered with nonsurgical treatment due to biofilm development in the shunt tubing and inability to achieve sufficiently high CSF drug levels by intravenous administration. Recently, three cases ofS. epidermidisCSF shunt infection have been treated by intravenous linezolid without surgical shunt removal, and we therefore investigated vancomycin and linezolid against biofilms of these bacteriain vitro. A continuous-perfusion model of shunt catheter biofilms was used to establish mature (1-week) biofilms ofStaphylococcus aureus,Staphylococcus epidermidis(both methicillin resistant [MRSA and MRSE]),Enterococcus faecalis, andEnterococcus faecium. They were then “treated” with either vancomycin or linezolid in concentrations achievable in CSF for 14 days. The biofilms were then monitored for 1 week for eradication and for regrowth. Enterococcal biofilms were not eradicated by either vancomycin or linezolid. Staphylococcal biofilms were eradicated by both antibiotics after 2 days and did not regrow. No resistance was seen. Linezolid at concentrations achievable by intravenous or oral administration was able to eradicate biofilms of bothS. epidermidis(MRSE) andS. aureus(MRSA). Neither vancomycin at concentrations achievable by intrathecal administration nor linezolid was able to eradicate enterococcal biofilms. It is hoped that thesein vitroresults will stimulate further clinical trials with linezolid, avoiding surgical shunt removal.


1986 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 309-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benedicto Oscar Colli ◽  
Nelson Martelli ◽  
João Alberto Assirati ◽  
Hélio Rubens Machado ◽  
Sylvio de Vergueiro Forjaz

✓ The clinical course of 69 patients with neurocysticercosis who underwent surgery to control increased intracranial pressure (ICP) or cyst removal is analyzed. Increased ICP was caused by hydrocephalus in 63 patients, by cerebral edema in four, and by giant cysts in two. Skull x-ray films showed calcifications in 14% and signs of elevated ICP in 46%. Examination of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) revealed pleocytosis with eosinophils in 52% of cases and a positive complement fixation test for cysticercosis in 66%. Ventriculography allowed localization of the CSF obstruction and ventricular cysts, and generally differentiated between an obstruction due to cysts and an inflammatory process. Computerized tomography showed cysts in the cerebral parenchyma and ventricular dilatation. Ventricular cysts were best seen when intraventricular metrizamide was used. Intracranial shunting and posterior fossa exploration were less effective in the treatment of hydrocephalus than was ventriculoatrial (VA) or ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunting, although VA or VP shunting was associated with a high percentage of complications. Quality of survival was good in 87% of the cases in the first 3 postoperative months and in 93% of patients who survived 2 years after surgery. Fortyseven patients (68%) were readmitted one or more times for CSF shunt revision; 14 of them for shunt infection (meningitis). The early operative mortality rate was 1.8% for patients with VA or VP shunt placement and 5.3% for those with posterior fossa exploration. The authors conclude that placement of CSF shunts is indicated in the treatment of hydrocephalus, and cyst removal is indicated only when the cyst exhibits tumor-like behavior. Surgical exploration is also indicated when the diagnosis is uncertain.


1988 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 648-650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gershon Keren ◽  
Tal Geva ◽  
Bianca Bogokovsky ◽  
Ethan Rubinstein

✓ The clinical and laboratory findings in two cases of aerobic Corynebacterium Group JK infection of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunts are described. These organisms have occasionally been reported as a cause of serious infections in man but have not been reported as a cause of shunt infection. In both cases, CSF pleocytosis was limited to 20 or 60 cells with variable protein and sugar values. Fever was a constant finding, frequently accompanied by signs of central nervous system dysfunction. Corynebacterium Group JK organisms are common contaminants of the normal skin flora. When isolated from the blood and/or the CSF of a patient with a CSF shunt who has symptoms and signs compatible with infection, the organism should not be dismissed as a contaminant. A significant feature of this group is its resistance to almost all presently available antibiotics including penicillin, the cephalosporins, and the aminoglycosides. These organisms are, however, sensitive to vancomycin.


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

Hydrocephalus is the abnormal accumulation of CSF with in the ventricles andsubarachnoid spaces. It is often associated with dilatation of ventricular system and increasedICP. Hydrocephalus is almost always a result of an interruption of CSF flow and rarely becauseof increased CSF production. The definitive treatment of hydrocephalus is surgical treatmentwhich includes shunting and non-shunting procedures. The most common and overwhelmingcomplications that can occur due to the CSF shunts is infection. The risk factors associated withpediatric CSF shunt infection has been analyzed in this study. Study Design: Descriptive study.Setting: Department of Neurosurgery, Nishtar Hospital Multan & Sheikh Zayed Hospital RahimYar Khan. Period: Three years 01-07-2013 to 01-07-2016. Method: Total 209 eligible patientswho were operated for CSF shunt were keenly monitored. Several variables were observedand the responses against these variables were noted down. Post operative follow up of allthese cases done for 6 months in order to notice any development of infection (clinical signsof infection & CSF examination) in CSF shunt system. Chi-square method was used appliedin order to analyze the association among the variables and shunt infection development.Inour population of 209 patients only twenty six patients (12.44%) suffered from shunt infection.In this study four variables were qualified as having significant association with greater risk ofshunt infection. 1) Patient age. 2) Inadvertently exposure of surgical instruments to the shuntsystem. 3) the existence of large number of previous shunt systems. 4) manual handling ofshunt system Conclusions: Four variables have been reported by this study which can be agreat source of shunt infection.it is recommended that changes in clinical practice should beconsidered in order to avoid these. Few recommendations are as follows. 1) While handling theshunt system great care should be taken. 2) It should be taken care that the manual contactof the Surgeons with the shunt system should be minimum. 3) it is recommended that thealternatives other then the shunt insertion should be considered especially for the children. 4)Great number of previous shunt system is also a great risk factor and these patients must behandled as individuals at high risk.


1984 ◽  
Vol 60 (5) ◽  
pp. 1014-1021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beverly C. Walters ◽  
Harold J. Hoffman ◽  
E. Bruce Hendrick ◽  
Robin P. Humphreys

✓ A retrospective study of the management of patients with infected cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunts was undertaken, covering the 20 years from 1960 to 1979, inclusive, and involving 222 patients with 267 infections. The data were analyzed with emphasis on influences surrounding treatment choice and subsequent outcome. Treatment was classified into three major categories: medical management (antibiotics alone), surgical management (antibiotics plus operative removal of the infected shunt), and no treatment (ranging from admission and observation only to shunt revision), the diagnosis of shunt infection having been missed. Results showed surgical treatment to be more efficacious than medical or no treatment, with a higher rate of initial cure, and lower morbidity and mortality rates. Also examined were the relationships among clinical presentation, infection rate, and results of specimens sent for culture, and initial treatment. The definitive nature of initial treatment was revealed to be directly proportional to the aggressiveness of microbiological investigation. This latter aspect was related to clinical presentation, with shunt malfunction being the least recognized symptom of shunt infection. Patients presenting with blocked shunts were less likely to receive therapy appropriate for infection than any other group, leading to the conclusion that shunt malfunction may be more specific to infection than heretofore believed.


1986 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arno Fried ◽  
Kenneth Shapiro

✓ Eighteen hydrocephalic children who presented with subtle deterioration when their shunts malfunctioned were studied during shunt revision by means of the pressure-volume index (PVI) technique. Bolus manipulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was used to determine the PVI and the resistance to the absorption of CSF (Ro). Ventricular size was moderately to severely enlarged in all the children. Steady-state intracranial pressure (ICP) at the time of shunt revision was 17.5 ± 7.3 mm Hg (range 8 to 35 mm Hg). Pressure waves could not be induced by bolus injections in the 8- to 35-mm Hg range of ICP tested. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) of the predicted normal PVI for this group was 18.5 ± 2.7 ml. The mean ± standard error of the mean of the measured PVI was 35.5 ± 2.1 ml, which represented a 187% ± 33% (± SD) increase in volume-buffering capacity (p < 0.001). The ICP did not fall after bolus injections in three children, so that the Ro could not be measured. In the remaining 15 patients, Ro increased linearly as a function of ICP (r = 0.74, p < 0.001). At ICP's below 20 mm Hg, Ro ranged from 2.0 to 5.0 mm Hg/ml/min, but increased to as high as 21 mm Hg/ml/min when ICP was above 20 mm Hg. This study documents that subtle deterioration in shunted hydrocephalic children is accompanied by abnormally compliant pressure-volume curves. These children develop ventricular enlargement and neurological deterioration without acute episodic pressure waves. The biomechanical profile of this group differs from other children with CSF shunts.


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.


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