Comparison of two antibiotic-impregnated ventricular catheters: a prospective sequential series trial

External ventricular drains (EVDs) are valuable adjuncts in the management of neurosurgical patients but are associated with a significant risk of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) infection (range, 0% to 27%); a review of 23 studies reported a mean of 8.8%.

To compare the efficacy of 2 different antibiotic-impregnated EVD catheters in preventing CSF infections.

Patients were prospectively enrolled in an Institutional Review Board-approved study. During alternating 3-month periods, all patients received either a minocycline/rifampin-impregnated (M/R) ventricular catheter or a clindamycin/rifampin-impregnated (C/R) EVD catheter. CSF cultures were collected at the time of insertion and twice weekly. Positive cultures were defined a priori as growth of the same bacteria on 2 media (eg, blood agar and broth) or 2 cultures of the same bacteria on 1 medium (eg, broth).

Altogether, 129 patients (mean age, 58.4 years; 55 male) received 65 C/R catheters and 64 M/R catheters. The most common indications for EVD placement were aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (48.1%), spontaneous intraparenchymal hemorrhage (13.2%), and tumor (11.6%). The mean duration of ventriculostomy drainage was 11.8 and 12.7 days in the C/R and M/R groups, respectively. No positive CSF cultures were identified in either cohort.

The use of antibiotic-impregnated catheters was associated with an extremely low risk of CSF infection compared with the reported mean of nearly 9% for standard EVD catheters. Infection rates for both C/R and M/R EVD catheters were zero. These results support the use of antibiotic-impregnated EVD catheters in routine clinical practice.