Recognizing Shunt Complications: A Guide for Families
By Anshika
How to identify and respond to shunt malfunction, infection, and other complications in both children and adults.
For families living with hydrocephalus, the shunt is both a lifeline and a source of anxiety. Shunts can malfunction or become infected, requiring prompt medical attention.
Shunt Malfunction
The most common complication. Signs include severe persistent headache (worse in the morning), nausea and vomiting, irritability or drowsiness, vision changes, return of original hydrocephalus symptoms, seizures, and in infants, a bulging fontanelle and increasing head circumference.
Shunt Infection
More common in the first few months after surgery. Signs include fever, redness or tenderness along the shunt tract, headache, neck stiffness, and general malaise.
When to Seek Emergency Care
Go to the ER immediately for: severe headache with vomiting, extreme drowsiness or difficulty waking, seizure, fever with shunt-related symptoms, or head injury in a shunt-dependent person.