Ventricular shunt infection

Ventricular shunt (VS) is still the main therapy for hydrocephalus in children.Although many lives can be saved with this procedure, shunts are notoriously proneto complications. Among these, infection is the most difficult to deal with. This paperevaluates most aspects of shunt infection, such as etiology, risk factors, diagnosis,treatment and associated complications. Literature shows that the majority ofinfections are caused by Staphylococcus, although other microorganisms can beinvolved, like gram-negatives and Mycoplasma. Etiology is thus variable and medicalpersonel should be aware of it. Due to the potential of VS infection o provokeincreasing morbidity and mortality in children, it should be stressed the importance ofa correct and fast diagnosis to secure a suitable treatment. Additionally, there isn't anuniform protocol worldwide regarding the use of antibiotics, so it often depends onthe physicians suggestion and the preference of the hospital's microbiology team. Thissituation reinforces the need for frequent update to the most recent literature available.