Impact of gastrostomy tube placement on meningitis in infants with hydrocephalus requiring ventriculoperitoneal shunt

Objective The primary aim was to determine the rate of meningitis in infants with a ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) with and without gastrostomy tube (GT). Study Design This retrospective cohort study includes infants with VPS placement for hydrocephalus from two NICUs from 2010 to 2022. We compared infants with and without GTs. VPS-associated meningitis was defined by positive cerebral spinal fluid culture after VPS placement. Result The incidence of VPS-associated meningitis in VPS and GT infants was 10.6% versus 3.4% in VPS only infants (p = 0.013, OR 0.3, 95% CI 0.12, 0.86). The most common pathogenic etiology of meningitis was Pseudomonas in the VPS and GT cohort versus enterococcus in the VPS only cohort. In infants with VPS and GT, there was no statistical difference in rates of VPS-associated meningitis in those with VPS versus GT placed first. Conclusion GT placement was a risk factor for VPS-associated meningitis in infants.