Silver-Coated Ventriculostomy Catheters Do Not Reduce Rates of Clinically Diagnosed Ventriculitis
Background: Ventriculitis is a serious complication when using external ventricular drains (EVDs). Bactericidal silver coating has been reported to reduce risk of infection. In the clinical setting, the diagnosis is often made based on symptoms and analyses of cerebrospinal fluid, with treatment initiated before infection is verified by culture. The bactericidal effect might not correlate with a r