Shunt malfunctions and infections are both at the top of the list when it comes to Neurosurgical emergencies in the Pediatric Emergency Department. Check out the embedded pdf for a presentation I recently gave at Cincinnati Children’s and the PEM Currents episode linked below.

The Presentation

[pdf-embedder url=”https://pemcincinnati.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/CSF-Shunts-Gone-Bad.pdf” title=”CSF Shunts Gone Bad”]

The Podcast Episode

Ventricular CSF shunts are very common – many kids have them. The most common complications are malfunction and infection. This episode of PEM Currents reviews the basics and how you can assess for complications in CSF shunts in kids.

Listen to it here

Or check it out on Apple Podcasts or wherever you subscribe to your favorite podcasts.

References

Boyle, Kimia, Nigrovic. Validating a Clinical Prediction Rule for Ventricular Shunt Malfunction. Pediatric Emergency Care, 2017.

Riva-Cambrin et al. Risk factors for shunt malfunction in pediatric hydrocephalus: a multicenter prospective cohort study. Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics. Apr 2016, Vol. 17, No. 4 , Pages 382-390.