title: Intraventricular and Intravenous Tobramycin with Ceftazidime for Ventriculitis Secondary to Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
abstract: The preferred method for shunting cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles is via a ventriculoperitoneal or ventriculoatrial shunt. Unfortunately, infection is a major complication of shunt surgery, which places the patient at risk of intellectual impairment and death. Although the most common causative pathogens are Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus, gram-negative bacterial infections have increased over the last three decades. Treatment of Pseudomonas ventriculitis is highly variable, because there are few guidelines for drug selection, administration, and monitoring. We report a case of post-shunt revision Pseudomonas meningitis/ ventriculitis that was successfully treated by the intraventricular adminstration tobramycin in conjunction with intravenous tobramycin and ceftazidime.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, Texas.
authors.forename: Priscilla
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Masvosva
authors.forename: Steven C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Buckingham
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Einhaus
authors.forename: Stephanie J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Phelps
keywords: Pseudomonas aeruginosa; intraventricular; shunt infections; tobramycin; ventriculitis