Adjustable pressure hydrocephalus shunt valve CODMAN® HAKIM®

adult

Utilizing the Codman® Hakim® Programmer or Codman® Valve Positioning Verification (VPV®) System The Codman® Hakim® Programmable Valve offers the ability to optimize the opening pressure of a shunt system before and after implantation. A shunted patient’s condition will often change over the course of their treatment making pressure changes necessary. The programmable valve allows a surgeon to non-invasively change the opening pressure between 30 mm H2O and 200 mm H2O in 18 steps, negating the need for revision surgery to alter the valve pressure. The programmability of the valve may allow for the development of specialized treatment regimens. The setting of the Codman Hakim Programmable Valve is changed through the use of an externally applied, codified magnetic field. The spring in the ball-spring mechanism of the valve sits atop a rotating spiral cam which contains a stepper motor. Applying a specific magnetic field to the stepper motor will cause the cam to turn slightly, increasing or decreasing the tension on the spring, and changing the opening pressure of the valve. The Codman Hakim Programmable Valve is available in eight basic configurations. It is acceptable to prime the valve by filling it with lint-free sterile saline or an appropriate antibiotic solution prior to implantation. If the valve housing includes SiphonGuard® Anti-siphon Device, priming the system must be reduced to a rate of approximately .5cc/minute. The valve mechanism should be placed over a bony region and not over an area with an excessive amount of soft tissue. The valve could become embedded in the soft tissue, making it difficult to program postoperatively.