Mounting device for external cerebrospinal fluid drainage: the Freiburg Stativ.

Abstract

External drainage of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is one of the most common neurosurgical procedures. It is important to maintain a stable drainage rate, but with the commonly available mountings for CSF drainage this can be difficult to achieve. The drainage rate is dependent on the height-difference between the CSF space and the drip chamber of the device. Most mountings for open CSF drainage cannot be satisfactorily fixed at the bed of the patient; especially if the head of the bed is moved, there is a risk of over- or underdrainage. We have therefore constructed a mounting for open CSF drainage which allows appropriate adjustment of the rate of CSF outflow, even if the patient's head part of the bed is moved. The device was easily mountable or exchangeable at any hospital bed and served equally well for ventricular or for lumbar drainage. We think that this device can help to reduce serious complication of over- or underdrainage in external CSF drainage.