Effect of Nursing Interventions on Early Postoperative Complications of Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt for Hydrocephalus in Pediatric Patients

Background: Pediatric hydrocephalus is the accumulation of too much cerebrospinal fluid inside the ventricles when the normal production and absorption of cerebrospinal fluid is disrupted. The most common treatment for hydrocephalus is a ventriculoperitoneal shunt, despite its postoperative complications. Nurses have an essential role to in decreasing the incidence of postoperative complications. So, nursing interventions include providing pre and postoperative care for children, as well as educating their caregivers for ongoing care at home. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate effect of nursing interventions on early postoperative complications of ventriculoperitoneal shunt for hydrocephalus in pediatric patients. Methods: A pre-experimental framework was utilized on a sample of 72 children and their caregivers who were admitted to the pediatric neurosurgery department and pediatric neurosurgical outpatients affiliated to Mansoura University Hospital (MUH), Mansoura city, Dakahlia governorate, Egypt. Data were gathered through the use of four tools: Demographic data of hydrocephalus pediatric patients and their caregivers, clinical assessment of pediatric hydrocephalus patients, reported practices about home care and clinical outcomes. Results: During the follow-up for thirty day postoperative, early postoperative complications of the pediatric patients who received the nursing interventions was 13.9% of the pediatric patients had shunt infection, 12.5% of the pediatric patients had convulsion, 6.9% of the pediatric patients had shunt malfunction and 1.4% of them died. Conclusion: There was an improvement in clinical presentations of pediatric patients with no or fewer postoperative complications. Recommendations: Repetition of the study is needed on a larger sample in multicenter settings to emphasize the role of nursing interventions in reducing the postoperative complication and improving outcomes.