HummingFlow: novel single twist-drill access for ventricular drainage, irrigation, monitoring, and automated local drug delivery in subarachnoid hemorrhage

Abstract

OBJECTIVE The management of delayed cerebral ischemia after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) remains one of the most important targets for neurocritical care. Advances in monitoring technology have facilitated a more thorough understanding of the pathophysiology and therapeutic approaches, but interventions are generally limited to either systemic therapies or passive CSF drainage. The authors present a novel approach that combines a multimodal monitoring bolt-based system with an irrigating ventricular drain capable of delivering intrathecal medications and describe their early experience in patients with aSAH. METHODS The authors performed a retrospective review of cases treated with the combined Hummingbird multimodal bolt system and the IRRAflow irrigating ventriculostomy. RESULTS Nine patients were treated with the combined multimodal bolt system with irrigating ventriculostomy approach. The median number of days to clearance of the third and fourth ventricles was 3 days in patients with obstructive intraventricular hemorrhage. Two patients received intrathecal alteplase for intraventricular hemorrhage clearance, and 2 patients received intrathecal nicardipine as rescue therapy for severe symptomatic angiographic vasospasm. CONCLUSIONS Combined CSF drainage, irrigation, multimodality monitoring, and automated local drug delivery are feasible using a single twist-drill hole device. Further investigation of irrigation settings and treatment approaches in high-risk cases is warranted.