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. 2011 Jan;18(1):30-7.

A randomised control trial on the use of topical methicillin in reducing post-operative ventriculoperitoneal shunt infection

Sharon Casilda Theophilus  1 , Johari Siregar Adnan
Affiliations

A randomised control trial on the use of topical methicillin in reducing post-operative ventriculoperitoneal shunt infection

Sharon Casilda Theophilus et al. Malays J Med Sci. 2011 Jan.

Abstract

Background: A double-blind randomised control study was conducted on all patients who were admitted or referred to the Department of Neurosurgery, Sultanah Aminah Hospital, Johor Bahru, with a diagnosis of hydrocephalus where a ventriculoperitoneal shunt was indicated.

Methods: The period of study was from November 2005 to May 2007, and the follow-up period was 3 months after surgery. Randomisation was carried out in the operating room prior to the procedure. The scrub nurse selected a sealed envelope, which contained the assignment of each patient to 1 of 2 treatment groups: Group 1 patients were treated with topical methicillin, and Group 2 patients were not treated with topical methicillin. Prophylactic antibiotic, cefuroxime (25 mg/kg) was given intravenously at induction. Standard sterile operative technique was followed in preparing and draping the patients.

Results: A total of 90 patients were recruited in the study, and 13 (14.4%) patients developed an infection within 3 months post-operation. Group 1 had a 8.9% risk of infection, and Group 2 had a 20% risk; however, there was no statistically significant post-operative ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) infection reduction with the use of topical methicillin in VPS surgery (P = 0.230). Multivariate analysis showed that only duration of surgery had a significant influence on the incidence of post-operative VPS infection in the non-methicillin group (P = 0.02). The non-methicillin group had an 8 times greater risk of developing post-operative VPS infection than the methicillin group if surgery lasted longer than 1 hour.

Conclusion: Topical methicillin had no significance in the reduction of post-operative VPS infection.

Keywords: methicillin; neurosurgery; post-operative wound infection; topical administration; ventriculoperitoneal shunt.

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