Risk Factors of McGirt et al for Infection of a Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt in a Pediatric Patient

 

Risk factors for shunt infection:

(1) premature birth

(2) younger age

(3) history of previous shunt infection

(4) use of a neuroendoscope during the shunt placement procedure

 

The mean age for patients with infected shunts was 13 months. The risk of shunt infection increased 4% for each decrease of 1 year in patient age (unfortunately the authors did not list the reference age). In the implementation I associated risk with an age <= 2 years of age, which may need to be revised later.

 

The organism causing the infection was likely to Staphylococcus aureus if:

(1) the patient had been hospitalized > 3 days at the time of shunt insertion

(2) history of previous Staphylococcus aureus shunt infection