ANTIBIOTIC-PROPHYLAXIS IN VENTRICULAR SHUNT SURGERY .1. REDUCTION OF OPERATIVE INFECTION-RATES WITH METHICILLIN

Abstract

Administration of prophylactic antibiotics is not a proven or universal practice in CSF shunt surgery although case and operative infection rates in hydrocephalic patients average 20 and 8%, respectively. In sequential series from 1969-1978 a reduction was achieved in case infection rates from 10.9 to 8.9% and in operative infections from 8 to 2.6% with the use of short-term prophylactic methicillin. Comparison of these results to those of other reported series supports the case for short-term prophylactic antibiotics in shunt surgery. Further reduction in shunt sepsis may be possible with the appropriate selection of other semisynthetic penicillins which achieve higher levels in CSF.