INTRAOPERATIVE HYPOTHERMIA AND VENTRICULAR SHUNT INFECTIONS

Several recent studies have demonstrated a relationship between intrao perative hypothermia and postoperative infection, ii study was therefo re conducted to evaluate the relationship between intraoperative hypot hermia and ventricular shunt infections. Sixty-eight children who unde rwent Ventricular shunt placement, including revisions, over a six yea r period subsequently developed a shunt infection (overall shunt infec tion rate of 5%). Mean age was 8 years (range, neonate to 20 years). T he last 74 children who underwent ventricular shunt placement without subsequent infection served as a comparison group. The anesthetic reco rds of all cases were reviewed to determine the lowest core temperatur e recorded during the surgical procedure. The lowest core temperature varied from 33.9 degrees C to 37.7 degrees C (mean 36.0 degrees C). Hy pothermia was defined as a temperature less than 35.1 degrees C. No re lationship was found between hypothermia and the subsequent occurrence of a shunt infection (P = 0.45). When those children less than 2 year s old were excluded from analysis, there was a trend towards statistic al significance (P = 0.07). In summary, this study failed to show any significant relationship between the occurrence of intraoperative hypo thermia and subsequent ventriculoperitoneal shunt infection in a group of pediatric patients.