Duration of Antibiotic Therapy and Timing of Shunt Reimplantation in Pediatric CSF Shunt Infections: A Retrospective Multicenter Case Series

In this retrospective multicenter series of 154 children with cerebrospinal fluid shunt infections, the median (interquartile range) duration of antibiotic therapy was 18 (14-26) days. The time to shunt replacement was 14 (10-19) days. Management appeared to potentially differ according to the targeted pathogen and site. In 154 children with cerebrospinal fluid shunt infections, median time to shunt reimplantation was 14 days and median total duration of antibiotics was 18 days. Most received a longer course of antibiotics and had delayed shunt reimplantation relative to Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines.

Automated summary

This retrospective multicenter study examined 154 children with cerebrospinal fluid shunt infections and found that the duration of antibiotic therapy and time to shunt replacement varied, potentially depending on the targeted pathogen and site of infection. Most patients received a longer course of antibiotics and had delayed shunt reimplantation compared to the guidelines set by the Infectious Diseases Society of America.