Timing of Permanent Ventricular Shunt Placement Following External Ventricular Drain Placement in Primary Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Background Intraventricular hemorrhage requiring ventriculostomy placement is a frequent complication of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage. Although a subset of patients will require permanent ventricular shunt placement, little is known about contemporary practices regarding the timing of ventriculostomy and ventricular shunt placement after intracerebral hemorrhage. Methods Using the 2010-2012 National Inpatient Sample, we identified patients with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes for intracerebral hemorrhage, excluded secondary causes, and examined procedure dates. Results Of 35,899 patients with primary intracerebral hemorrhage, 2443 (6.8%) received ventriculostomy, 93% within the first 3 days of admission and 66% within the first day. Permanent shunt placement occurred in 173 (7.1%) patients following ventriculostomy at a median interval of 15 days (interquartile range: 11-20). Among those remaining alive and in hospital at 14, 21, and 28 days, 5%, 11%, and 15%, respectively, underwent shunt placement following ventriculostomy, and 24% of those with multiple ventriculostomy insertions required permanent shunt by 4 weeks of hospitalization. Multiple ventriculostomies, tracheostomy, and black race were associated with longer time to permanent shunt. Conclusions A wide variation in delay to permanent shunt placement is present, with substantial and increasing prevalence with time in hospital. Better understanding of the risk factors associated with persistent hydrocephalus will help optimize patient selection and timing of treatment.