External Ventricular Drain (EVD)
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of death and disability.
TBI can be treated medically or surgically. As a result of the injury, the brain often swells, causing the pressure within the skull to increase. External ventricular drain (EVD) is a temporary system used to drain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) out of the head to relieve intracranial pressure.
Traumatic brain injuries can cause excess CSF to accumulate temporarily in the brain. As the skull is a fixed space, this excess CSF accumulation temporarily causes pressure on the brain, leading to potentially deadly neurological complications. An EVD is a short-term solution to this excess fluid. A small hole is placed in the patients skull from which the drain is placed. CSF leaks out of the drain at a controlled rate, allowing for patients to have optimal CSF quantity. As a patient’s condition improves, the EVD is removed and the hole is sealed.