What it means
A path that sends fluid a different way. A ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt is a thin tube that drains extra fluid from the brain into the belly in hydrocephalus. In dialysis, a shunt or fistula joins an artery to a vein to give access to the blood. Some shunts happen naturally or from disease, as when blood bypasses the lungs in some heart defects.
For the nurse
For a child with a VP shunt, watch for signs of blockage or rising intracranial pressurein-truh-KRAY-nee-ul PRESH-erThe pressure inside the skull, made by the brain, the blood and the fluid around the brain.intra- insidecrani/o skull-al relating toFull entry : headache, vomiting, sleepiness, irritability or, in infants, a bulging soft spot. Watch the site for redness or fever, which can mean infection.
At a glance
| Spanish | derivación |
|---|---|
| Also written | shunts |
Related terms
dialysis
A treatment that removes wastes and extra fluid from the blood when the kidneys can no longer do it.
intracranial pressure
The pressure inside the skull, made by the brain, the blood and the fluid around the brain.