What does a ventricular drain do?
What does a ventricular drain do?
An external ventricular drain (EVD) is a temporary method that uses gravity to drain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) out of compartments in the brain, called ventricles, via a thin tube that goes out of the head into a chamber and bag.
How do external ventricular drains work?
An external ventricular drainage (EVD) system drains CSF by using a combination of gravity and intercerebral pressure. The drainage rate depends on the height at which the EVD system is placed relative to the patient’s anatomy.
What is a EVD procedure?
The external ventricular drain (EVD) is a small tube surgically inserted into the ventricles of the brain, which drains cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) (Fig. 1-12). The tube is connected to a device that measures the amount of this fluid.
How do you place an external ventricular drain?
How To Place An External Ventricular Drain (EVD)
- Position the patient with head/torso at 45° angle relative to the floor.
- Shave frontal scalp and mark Kocher point (approximately 11 cm from the nasion and 3 cm from the midpupillary line)
- Prepp and drape patient in the usual sterile fashion.
How do you control an EVD drain?
If the patient is supine with their head neutral, level the EVD system to the tragus of the ear. If the patient is lateral, level the EVD to the mid sagittal line (between the eyebrows). Every time the patient moves the EVD must be re-levelled.
What are the symptoms of too much spinal fluid?
Symptoms of Adult-onset Hydrocephalus
- Headaches.
- Nausea.
- Difficulty focusing the eyes.
- Unsteady walk or gait.
- Leg weakness.
- Sudden falls.
- Irritability.
- Drowsiness.
How is excess CSF removed?
A shunt is a thin tube implanted in the brain to drain away the excess CSF to another part of the body (often the abdominal cavity, the space around the bowel) where it can be absorbed into the bloodstream. The CSF is controlled by a valve.
