External ventricular drains: is there a time limit in children?

The time limit for the use of external ventricular drains (EVDs) has always been controversial. The purpose of this study is to find out if there is a time limit with regard to infection of EVDs and their duration of use in children. The records of 28 patients who had a total of 46 EVDs over a 4-yea...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inChild's nervous system Vol. 21; no. 5; pp. 355 - 357
Main Authors Khalil, Basem A, Sarsam, Zaid, Buxton, Neil
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Germany 01.05.2005
Subjects
Bacterial Infections
Bacteriological Techniques - methods
Cell Count
Cells, Cultured
Cerebral Ventricles - surgery
Child
Child, Preschool
Drainage - methods
Humans
Leukocytes
Retrospective Studies
Time Factors
Ventriculostomy - methods
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Summary:The time limit for the use of external ventricular drains (EVDs) has always been controversial. The purpose of this study is to find out if there is a time limit with regard to infection of EVDs and their duration of use in children. The records of 28 patients who had a total of 46 EVDs over a 4-year period at the Regional Paediatric Neurosurgical Centre at the Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital, Alder Hey, Liverpool, UK, were retrieved. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) white cell counts, CSF Gram stains and the CSF culture results were analysed. There is no time limit for EVDs in children. They can be left as long as clinically indicated provided strict protocols are followed in the handling of the set.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
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ISSN:0256-7040
1433-0350
DOI:10.1007/s00381-004-1080-6