Commercial external ventricular drainage sets: unsolved safety and handling problems.
Twelve commercially available sets for drainage of cerebrospinal fluid were tested for handling, design, features for fixation of the ventricular catheter, reliability of the anti-reflux valve, obstruction, efficiency of the air ventilation filter caps, accuracy of flow measurement and adjustment of flow, quality of material, adjustment, and cost. All systems showed considerable deficiencies in their reliability and handling. None of them can be recommended without certain restrictions and they should all be revised.
Tronnier
V
V
Department of Neurosurgery, Ruprecht-Karls-University, Heidelberg, Federal Republic of Germany.
Aschoff
A
A
Hund
E
E
Hampl
J
J
Kunze
S
S
D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D002408:Catheters, Indwelling; D002557:Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts / Q000295:instrumentation*; D000075202:Contraindications; D004322:Drainage / Q000295:instrumentation; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D013499:Surface Properties