An Improvised External Ventricular Drain Fixation Technique to Avoid Pullout-Related Complications in a Low-Resource...

An external ventricular drain (EVD) placement is a commonly performed life-saving procedure. Its accidental pullout can occur in complex environments, patient care, and positioning, which leads to significant morbidity. The method of EVD fixation and pullout rates is sparsely described in the literature, and there exists a wide variation among the techniques practiced for fixation. However, some techniques require additional tools, which are expensive and unavailable in low-resource settings. We describe an improvised method of securely fixing the EVD to the scalp applicable in low-resources and describe the EVD pullout rate with the use of this technique.

A retrospective review of pullout-related complications in 107 consecutive patients was performed. The EVD was fixed to the scalp using an improvised technique to loop the catheter around a soft flange and secure it with sutures.

Pullout occurred in 1 patient (0.93%), who was in an alcohol withdrawal state and deliberately pulled out the catheter. There were zero nondeliberate pullouts.

EVD fixation by coiling the catheter around a soft flange has a low pullout rate. Because it is secure and requires only a flange, it is suitable for low-resource settings.