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  • Title: The effect of cephalothin prophylaxis on postoperative ventriculoperitoneal shunt infections.
    Author: Rieder MJ, Frewen TC, Del Maestro RF, Coyle A, Lovell S.
    Journal: CMAJ; 1987 May 01; 136(9):935-8. PubMed ID: 3552176.
    Abstract:
    Postoperative infection is an important complication after insertion of a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt in children with hydrocephalus. A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study was performed to determine the efficacy of cephalothin in preventing postoperative shunt infection. Sixty-three children who presented for elective VP shunt insertion between January 1982 and December 1985 and who did not have a history of shunt infections were randomly assigned to receive four doses of prophylactic cephalothin, 25 mg/kg (32 patients), or of a multivitamin placebo (31 patients). Postoperative infection developed in 6% of the treatment group, compared with 10% of the placebo group, a difference that was not statistically significant, although a clinical significance may have been masked by the small sample size. A large multicentre trial is needed to determine the efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis in reducing the incidence of postoperative VP shunt infections.
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