Ventriculostomy-related Infections: A Critical Review of the Literature

Abstract

Categorizing suspected cerebrospinal fluid infections as contaminants, colonization, suspected or confirmed VRIs, or ventriculitis more accurately describes the patient's clinical condition and may indicate different management strategies. A prospective, randomized clinical trial is required to further evaluate the efficacy of prophylactic catheter exchange in limiting the incidence of VRIs during prolonged catheterization. Although prophylactic catheter exchange remains a practice option, the available data suggest that this procedure is not currently justified.