Intraoperative hypothermia and ventricular shunt infections.
Several recent studies have demonstrated a relationship between intraoperative hypothermia and postoperative infection. A study was therefore conducted to evaluate the relationship between intraoperative hypothermia and ventricular shunt infections. Sixty-eight children who underwent ventricular shunt placement, including revisions, over a six year period subsequently developed a shunt infection (overall shunt infection rate of 5%). Mean age was 8 years (range, neonate to 20 years). The last 74 children who underwent ventricular shunt placement without subsequent infection served as a comparison group. The anesthetic records of all cases were reviewed to determine the lowest core temperature recorded during the surgical procedure. The lowest core temperature varied from 33.9 degrees C to 37.7 degrees C (mean 36.0 degrees C). Hypothermia was defined as a temperature less than 35.1 degrees C. No relationship was found between hypothermia and the subsequent occurrence of a shunt infection (P = 0.45). When those children less than 2 years old were excluded from analysis, there was a trend towards statistical significance (P = 0.07). In summary, this study failed to show any significant relationship between the occurrence of intraoperative hypothermia and subsequent ventriculoperitoneal shunt infection in a group of pediatric patients.
Gerszten
P C
PC
Department of Neurosurgery, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pennsylvania, USA.
Albright
A L
AL
Pollack
I F
IF
Adelson
P D
PD
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004866:Equipment Contamination; D006801:Humans; D007035:Hypothermia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007431:Intraoperative Complications; D007709:Klebsiella; D012086:Reoperation; D017287:Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt / Q000009:adverse effects*