Shunt Order Codes: Reading DESU Codes and the -ASD Suffix
Shunt order codes decoded: how DESU codes show valve family, size, pressure, kit type and antibiotic options, and what the “-ASD” suffix adds to a VP kit.
A DESU shunt order code reads left to right: an optional “A” for an antibiotic-impregnated valve body, the family and size letters, the pressure letter, the package letters, and “-ASD” if an antisiphon device is included. So DFS-M-VACK-ASD is a Defit Small medium-pressure valve with an antibiotic-impregnated VP catheter kit and an antisiphon device.
Key takeaways
- A DESU shunt code reads left to right: valve-body prefix, family and size, pressure, package, then “-ASD”.
- “-ASD” means the kit includes an antisiphon device; only VP kits carry it.
- The letter A means different things depending on where it sits in the code.
- The pattern is for reading, not writing: not every combination exists, so copy codes from the product pages or a DESU quotation.
The same pattern runs across DESU shunt systems, so a buyer, nurse or distributor can check an order line before it is sent. Every code shown here is a real DESU code. A code tells you what is in the box; which configuration a patient needs is decided by the surgeon, following the instructions for use. For what “semi” and “full” antibiotic mean, see semi-antibiotic vs full-antibiotic shunt kits.
What are the parts of a DESU shunt code?
A code has up to five positions, and not every code uses all of them. Every code comes with a written description, and when in doubt the written description is the authority.
| Position | Example | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Valve-body prefix | A in ADFS | The valve body is antibiotic-impregnated. No A means a standard valve body. |
| 2. Family and size | DFS | The valve family and, where there is a choice, its size. |
| 3. Pressure | M | L, M or H for low, medium or high fixed pressure; A for adjustable. |
| 4. Package | VACK | What comes with the valve. No letters here means a valve alone. |
| 5. Antisiphon suffix | ASD | The kit includes an antisiphon device. |
Which letters identify the valve family and size?
Size is built into the family letters, so there is no separate size position. Defit has three flat-bottom sizes, Decurve has paediatric and adult burr-hole sizes, and Depus has its own letters for fixed, adjustable and lumboperitoneal systems.
| Letters | Valve | With impregnated body |
|---|---|---|
| DFUS | Defit Ultra Small | ADFUS |
| DFS | Defit Small | ADFS |
| DFR | Defit Regular | ADFR |
| DCP | Decurve paediatric | ADCP |
| DCA | Decurve adult | ADCA |
| DP | Depus fixed pressure; Depus adjustable paediatric when followed by -A | ADP (adjustable paediatric only) |
| DPA | Depus adjustable adult | ADPA |
| LPDP | Depus lumboperitoneal | — |
What do the pressure letters mean?
L, M and H stand for the low, medium and high fixed-pressure options of Defit, Decurve and fixed-pressure Depus valves. DP-L, DP-M and DP-H are the three fixed Depus valves on their own.
The letter A in this position means adjustable, and it appears only on Depus: DP-A is the adjustable paediatric valve and DPA-A the adjustable adult valve. Adjustable valves are read and set with the Depus Adjustment Kit, which has its own codes, DP-ADJKIT3 and DP-ADJKIT5.
What do VCK, VACK, LTCK and LTACK mean?
The package letters say what is supplied with the valve:
- No package letters, as in DFR-H: the valve alone.
- VCK, as in DCA-M-VCK: the valve with a standard ventriculoperitoneal (VP) catheter kit.
- VACK, as in DCA-M-VACK: the valve with an antibiotic-impregnated VP catheter kit.
- LTCK, as in LPDP-L-LTCK: a Depus lumboperitoneal (LP) shunt kit.
- LTACK, as in LPDP-L-LTACK: a Depus LP system with antibiotic-impregnated catheters.
A VP kit contains the valve, a 23 cm ventricular catheter, a 120 cm peritoneal catheter, a stylet and a right-angled connector. In a VACK kit the catheters are antibiotic-impregnated, meaning the antibiotic is impregnated into the material and released in a controlled manner over 28 days. They are orange; standard catheters are white. An LP kit includes the Depus valve, a lumbar catheter and a peritoneal catheter, with a 14 G Tuohy needle and a 0.018” guidewire.
What does the “-ASD” suffix mean?
“-ASD” means the kit includes an antisiphon device, the accessory intended to prevent the siphon effect that can occur when the peritoneal catheter moves from a horizontal to a vertical position. The suffix always comes last, following -VCK or -VACK on Defit, Decurve and Depus VP kits. Valve-alone codes and LP kit codes do not carry it.
DP-H-VCK and DP-H-VCK-ASD therefore describe the same Depus kit, with and without the device. That makes the suffix easy to lose: an order line copied without its last three letters is still a real code, so nothing looks wrong until the kit is opened. The device is also available as an accessory in its own right under the code ASD. For how it works, see how the antisiphon device counters the siphon effect.
Why does the letter A need care?
A appears in four different places, and it means something different in each:
- At the start, as in ADFR-L: the valve body is antibiotic-impregnated.
- In the pressure position, as in DP-A: the valve is adjustable.
- Inside the package letters, as in DP-M-VACK: the catheters are antibiotic-impregnated.
- At the end of the family letters, as in DPA-A: this is the adjustable adult Depus, with no antibiotic meaning at all.
One code can carry all of these. ADPA-A-VACK-ASD is an adjustable adult Depus with an impregnated body, an impregnated VP kit and an antisiphon device. Now compare ADPA-A-VCK with DPA-A-VACK. They look almost the same, but the first has an impregnated body with standard catheters, and the second a standard body with impregnated catheters.
How do real codes read in full?
| Code | Reads as |
|---|---|
| DFS-M | Defit Small, medium pressure, valve alone |
| ADFS-M | Defit Small with impregnated body, medium pressure, valve alone |
| DFR-H-VCK | Defit Regular, high pressure, standard VP kit |
| DCP-L-VCK-ASD | Decurve paediatric, low pressure, standard VP kit, antisiphon device |
| DFS-M-VACK-ASD | Defit Small, medium pressure, impregnated VP kit, antisiphon device |
| ADFR-L-VACK-ASD | Defit Regular with impregnated body, low pressure, impregnated VP kit, antisiphon device |
| ADCA-H-VACK | Decurve adult with impregnated body, high pressure, impregnated VP kit |
| DP-M-VCK-ASD | Depus, medium pressure, standard VP kit, antisiphon device |
| DPA-A-VACK | Adjustable adult Depus, impregnated VP kit |
| LPDP-M-LTACK | Depus LP system, medium pressure, impregnated catheters |
Can you build a code from the pattern?
No. The pattern helps you read a code, not write one, because not every combination exists:
- Defit kits with a standard valve and impregnated catheters come in Small only, and Defit kits with an impregnated valve and impregnated catheters in Regular only. Ultra Small kits come with standard catheters.
- A Defit impregnated valve body comes as a valve alone or in those Regular kits. No Defit code pairs it with standard catheters.
- Fixed-pressure Depus has no impregnated-body code; the ADP and ADPA prefixes are adjustable only.
- LP kits have no “-ASD” code.
- Depus reservoir options have no letters in the code, so state them in words on the order line.
A code assembled by logic can look entirely plausible and still not exist. Copy codes from the product pages or a DESU quotation instead.
A complete order line has three parts:
- The full code, with every hyphen and any suffix.
- The written description next to it, so that a typing error shows up as a mismatch.
- The quantity for that exact configuration, on its own line.
On receipt, compare the label with the order line. Orange catheters confirm that an antibiotic-impregnated kit has arrived, but only the code shows the full configuration, including the valve body and the antisiphon device.
Talk to a DESU product specialist
To confirm a code or match a surgeon’s request to the right configuration, write to sales@desu.tr, use the contact page, or request a quote.
Frequently asked questions
Is DP-A a lower setting than DPA-A?
No. Neither code describes a pressure setting. Both are adjustable Depus valves: DP-A is the paediatric version and DPA-A the adult version.
What are the codes for catheters ordered without a valve?
The ventriculoperitoneal catheter kit is SVPCK in its standard version and ASVPCK in its antibiotic-impregnated version. Catheter kits have their own codes and do not follow the valve pattern.
Are VCK and VACK catheters different sizes?
No. Both have the same dimensions: a ventricular catheter of 1.3 mm inner and 2.5 mm outer diameter at 23 cm, and a peritoneal catheter of 1.1 mm inner and 2.5 mm outer diameter at 120 cm.
Does the pressure letter change what is in a kit?
The pressure letter describes the valve. Kit contents are the same for the low, medium and high options of a family.
Related standards
- ISO 7197: Neurosurgical implants — Sterile, single-use hydrocephalus shunts and components
- ISO 13485: Medical devices — Quality management systems