title: The effect of cephalothin prophylaxis on postoperative ventriculoperitoneal shunt infections.
abstract: Postoperative infection is an important complication after insertion of a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt in children with hydrocephalus. A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study was performed to determine the efficacy of cephalothin in preventing postoperative shunt infection. Sixty-three children who presented for elective VP shunt insertion between January 1982 and December 1985 and who did not have a history of shunt infections were randomly assigned to receive four doses of prophylactic cephalothin, 25 mg/kg (32 patients), or of a multivitamin placebo (31 patients). Postoperative infection developed in 6% of the treatment group, compared with 10% of the placebo group, a difference that was not statistically significant, although a clinical significance may have been masked by the small sample size. A large multicentre trial is needed to determine the efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis in reducing the incidence of postoperative VP shunt infections.
mesh_terms: D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002512:Cephalothin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002557:Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006849:Hydrocephalus / Q000601:surgery; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010529:Peritoneal Cavity; D011292:Premedication; D011897:Random Allocation; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D002512:Cephalothin