Antibiotic-Impregnated Catheter Options Across the DESU Range

DESU offers antibiotic-impregnated catheters in eleven product lines: the EVD-010 and EVD-020 external drainage systems, all six silicone catheter kits, and the Defit, Decurve and Depus shunt families. In each, the antibiotic is impregnated into the material and released in a controlled manner over 28 days. What is impregnated varies by product, from a single catheter to a valve body and two catheters.

The table below shows, line by line, where the DESU antibiotic-impregnated catheter option exists and which component it applies to. Whether and when to use an impregnated device is decided by the surgeon and the hospital’s protocol, following the instructions for use.

Which DESU products have an antibiotic-impregnated option?

Across all of them, the impregnated catheter has the same dimensions, silicone material and tantalum length marks as the standard one. The impregnated version is orange; the standard version is white.

What is impregnated in the EVD systems?

In the EVD sets, the option applies to the catheter. The EVD-010 Series pairs a 31 cm ventricular catheter, with 1.5 mm inner and 3.0 mm outer diameter, with a complete drainage system: a 60 cm reinforced connection line with a locking mechanism, a 30 cm measuring scale in mmHg and cmH₂O, a 150 ml drip chamber, an 800 ml air-filtered drainage bag, two three-way connectors and a hydrophobic filter. The catheter is offered in standard or antibiotic-impregnated form.

The EVD-020 Series uses the same drainage components and is used with either a ventricular or a lumbar catheter, with an antibiotic-impregnated catheter option. For how the two systems sit side by side in a range, see the EVD system line-up for distributors.

What is impregnated in the six catheter kits?

The neurosurgical catheters range has a standard and an antibiotic-impregnated version of every kit. The kits contain:

• Ventricular catheter kit: 23 cm catheter (1.3 / 2.5 mm), stylet and right-angled connector.
• Peritoneal catheter kit: 120 cm catheter (1.1 / 2.5 mm).
• Ventriculoperitoneal catheter kit: both catheters, stylet and right-angled connector; in the impregnated kit, both catheters are impregnated.
• Lumbar catheter kit: 100 cm catheter (0.8 / 1.6 mm), 14 G Tuohy needle, guidewire and fixation tab.
• Lumboperitoneal catheter kit: 100 cm lumbar and 120 cm peritoneal catheters, 14 G Tuohy needle and guidewire.
• Lumbar drainage catheter kit: 80 cm catheter (0.8 / 1.6 mm), Tuohy needle, guidewire, angled trocar, Luer Lock connector, distal cap and fixation part.

On the lumboperitoneal catheter kit, the antibiotic-impregnated system has an impregnated lumbar catheter, and the peritoneal catheter is an antibiotic-impregnated option. Specify the peritoneal catheter version explicitly on the order.

What is impregnated in the shunt families?

Shunt kits are where the configuration varies most, because the valve can be impregnated as well as the catheters. All three families use a 23 cm ventricular and a 120 cm peritoneal catheter, and all shunt systems are single-use and sterilised by ethylene oxide.

• Defit: valve-body-only impregnation; semi-antibiotic kits with a standard valve and impregnated catheters; full-antibiotic kits with an impregnated valve body and impregnated catheters.
• Decurve: valve-body-only impregnation; semi-antibiotic-impregnated and full-antibiotic-impregnated systems, in paediatric and adult valve sizes.
• Depus: VP configurations with antibiotic-impregnated ventricular and peritoneal catheters; LP kits with standard or antibiotic-impregnated catheters; adjustable valves also with an impregnated valve body (ADP-A, ADPA-A).

The semi and full configurations are compared in detail in our guide to semi-antibiotic vs full-antibiotic shunt kits.

Which DESU products have no impregnated version?

The accessories have no antibiotic-impregnated version. A product list should carry these once, without a standard or impregnated choice:

• Antisiphon device, offered as an option on Defit, Decurve and Depus kits.
• Straight, L-type and Y-type catheter connectors.
• Depus Adjustment Kit, a non-sterile, reusable accessory.
• Dural grafts and bone grafts, which are collagen products rather than catheters.

How should a buyer build the product list?

• List each product line once, then add a version column: standard or antibiotic-impregnated.
• For shunts, add the antibiotic level: standard, valve-body-only, semi or full (Defit, Decurve, adjustable Depus), or impregnated catheters (fixed-pressure Depus).
• For the EVD-020, add the route: ventricular or lumbar catheter.
• For the lumboperitoneal catheter kit, state the peritoneal catheter version.
• Note that impregnated catheters are orange and standard ones white, so receiving staff can check deliveries against the list.

A list built this way maps directly onto the hospital’s protocol: each line that the protocol names as impregnated has a matching orange product on the shelf. For background on the 28-day release behind every line, see the 28-day release explained.

Talk to a DESU product specialist

For reference codes and a complete standard and antibiotic-impregnated product list for your account, write to sales@desu.tr, use the contact page, or request a quote.