External ventricular catheter placement is a common neurosurgical procedure performed in both the intensive care unit (ICU) and operating room(OR). The optimal setting for EVD placement in regards to safety and accuracy of placement is poorly defined.
Patients who underwent ventriculostomy placement in the ICU differed in important ways (i.e. indication for placement and the administration of pre-procedure prophylactic antibiotics) from patients treated in the OR. However, the available data suggests that complications of hemorrhage, infection, and non-functional drains may be mitigated by ventriculostomy placement in the OR 1).