Prospective Evaluation of Ventriculostomy Infections.

INTRODUCTION: Hospital-acquired infections associated with external drainage of ventricular cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are a significant source of concern for the patients and the provider team alike. Traditional rates of ventriculostomy infection range from 10-17% in a time-dependent fashion. Changing physician and nursing practices fueled this concern over infections.  OBJECTIVE: We sought to prospectively identify the risk factors associated with ventriculostomy infections as part of a quality assurance project.  METHODS: One hundred consecutive patients were evaluated and data were collected on 91. The primary indications for ventriculostomy were subarachnoid hemorrhage (46%), intracerebral hemorrhage (24%), and trauma (22%). Variables prospectively evaluated included pre-incision antibiotics, sterile technique bundling, setting of placement (operating room versus intensive care unit), experience of operator (attending, resident, or physician assistant), catheter type (antibiotic impregnated or not), use of a post-insertion dressing, and in-dwell time of the catheter.  RESULTS: There was only one infection in 91 patients (1.1%). This infection occurred in a patient without an antibiotic-impregnated catheter that was inserted by a resident physician. Compliance with pre-insertion antibiotics was very high, but most other variables had modest deviations in compliance. CONCLUSION: Infection rate related to external ventricular drainage is very low. Our data suggest that non-antibiotic impregnated catheters may be associated with infection, but that other variables thought to be critical may be of less value.

Pain management in critically ill obese patients.

Achieving pain control in critically ill patients is a challenging problem for the health care team, which becomes more challenging in morbidly obese patients. Obese patients may experience drug malabsorption and distribution, which may lead to either subtherapeutic or toxic drug levels. To manage pain effectively for the critically ill obese patient, nurses must have an understanding of how obesity alters a patient's physiologic response to injury and illness. In addition, nurses must be knowledgeable about physiologic pain mechanisms, types and manifestations of pain, differing patterns of drug absorption and distribution, pharmacokinetic properties of analgesic medications, and pain management strategies. This article explores factors affecting pharmacokinetics in obese patients, trends in pain management, and treatment strategies for the obese patient.