# An Antibiotic Prophylaxis for Prevention of Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Infection Using Intraventricular Injection and Shunt Soaking with Vancomycin and Gentamicin

## TL;DR

This study suggests that using vancomycin and gentamicin through intraventricular injection and shunt soaking may help reduce infections in ventriculoperitoneal shunts, especially in younger patients.

## Contribution

The study evaluates a novel prophylactic technique combining intraventricular injection and shunt soaking with antibiotics to prevent VP shunt infections.

## Key findings

- 3.5% of patients had VP shunt infections one year post-surgery.
- The antibiotic prophylaxis technique was associated with a lower infection rate.
- Younger patients under 8 years old were at higher risk for infection.

## Abstract

Background/Objectives: There is limited evidence of a combination of intraventricular injection and shunt soaking with a vancomycin–gentamicin technique as a prophylaxis for shunt infection. This study aimed to evaluate if a combination of this prophylaxis technique was a potential strategy in preventing ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt infection. Factors associated with VP shunt infection at one year were executed by using logistic regression analysis. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study. The inclusion criteria were consecutive patients who received VP shunt placement regardless of etiology. The primary outcome of this study was VP shunt infection at one year postoperatively. Results: During the study period, there were 413 patients who met the study criteria. Of those, 31 patients (7.51%) had an infected VP shunt one year after the operation. There were three factors that were independently associated with VP shunt infection at one year: age, etiology of brain tumor, and intraventricular injection and shunt soaking technique. The adjusted odds ratio of age and brain tumor was 0.974 (95% confidence interval of 0.960, 0.986) and 0.251 (95% confidence interval of 0.099, 0.640), while intraventricular injection and shunt soaking technique had an adjusted odds ratio of 0.422 (95% confidence interval of 0.212, 0.768). Conclusions: A combination of intraventricular injection and shunt soaking technique with vancomycin and gentamicin may lower the VP shunt infection rate at one year after operation. Younger patients under an age of 8 years may be at risk for VP shunt infection. Further prospective randomized controlled trial may be needed to confirm the results of this study.