How long is recovery after a VP shunt?
Recovery from a VP shunt placement takes three to four days. Most people can leave the hospital within seven days after the procedure.
How do you position a patient after a VP shunt?
Immediate postoperative care includes positioning, pain management, ensuring proper function of the shunt device, monitoring, and care of the surgical site. The infant should be positioned on the unaffected side or on the back with head elevated at 15[degrees] to 30[degrees] to minimize rapid drainage of CSF.
How long does it take to feel better after shunt surgery?
Working with a physical therapist, many people see improvement with their walking within a few weeks of shunt surgery. Memory and thinking skills are often slow to recover after shunt surgery, and some people may be left with cognitive deficits.
What is a Ventriculoperitoneal shunt used for?
Ventriculoperitoneal shunting is surgery to treat excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the cavities (ventricles) of the brain (hydrocephalus).
How does a Ventriculoperitoneal shunt work?
To help drain the extra CSF from your brain, a VP shunt will be placed into your head. The VP shunt works by taking the fluid out of your brain and moving it into your abdomen (belly), where it’s absorbed by your body. This lowers the pressure and swelling in your brain.
What are the symptoms of VP shunt Overdrainage?
Over-drainage: When the shunt allows cerebral fluid to drain from the brain’s ventricles more quickly than it is produced, the ventricles can collapse, tearing blood vessels and causing bleeding in the brain or blood clot, marked by severe headache, nausea, vomiting, seizure and other symptoms.
How is a Ventriculoperitoneal shunt inserted?
The long catheter is placed under your skin, behind your ear, down your neck, and into your abdomen. As the VP shunt drains extra CSF and lessens the pressure in your brain, it may ease some of your symptoms. Some symptoms will stop right after the VP shunt is inserted.
What are the complications of Ventriculoperitoneal shunt?
VP shunt complications include peritonitis, inguinal hernia, perforation of abdominal organs, intestinal obstruction, volvulus, and CSF ascites. Ventriculoatrial (VA) shunt complications include septicemia, shunt embolus, endocarditis, and pulmonary hypertension.
What are symptoms of shunt failure?
Shunt Malfunction Signs
- Headaches.
- Vomiting.
- Lethargy (sleepiness)
- Irritability.
- Swelling or redness along the shunt tract.
- Decreased school performance.
- Periods of confusion.
- Seizures.