Prophylactic Methicillin for Shunt Operations: Effects on Incidence of Shunt Malfunction and Infection
- 1 January 1982
- journal article
- research article
- Published by S. Karger AG in Pediatric Neurosurgery
- Vol. 9 (1), 10-22
- https://doi.org/10.1159/000120031
Abstract
In a double-blind study, 74 children were randomly treated with prophylactic methicillin at the time of ventriculo-peritoneal shunting. There were 7 infections in the placebo group and 2 in the methicillin-treated group. There was no statistically significant difference in infection or overall malfunction rate between the two groups. The risk of shunt malfunction in the 2nd to 6th month after surgery was significantly greater in the placebo group (7 of 26 patients) than in the methicillin-treated group (1 of 26 patients). Delayed shunt malfunction may be prevented by a short course of perioperative antibiotics.This publication has 4 references indexed in Scilit:
- The Importance of Beta, the Type II Error and Sample Size in the Design and Interpretation of the Randomized Control TrialNew England Journal of Medicine, 1978
- Design and analysis of randomized clinical trials requiring prolonged observation of each patient. II. Analysis and examplesBritish Journal of Cancer, 1977
- Complications of Ventriculo-Peritoneal Shunting and a Critical Comparison of the Three-Piece and One-Piece SystemsPediatric Neurosurgery, 1976
- Cerebrospinal fluid shunt infections with anaerobic diphtheroids (Propionibacterium species)Journal of Neurosurgery, 1976