Shunt

Shunt
First mentioned:	Distractions
Owned by:	The Company
Current status:	Sylar left the shunt on the floor of his cell.

The Company implants a cerebral shunt into the brains of some of their evolved human prisoners.

About

After Eden McCain's death, Sylar is put through a series of tests by the Company. In order to examine his brain, a shunt is implanted into his skull.

After surprising Mr. Bennet, Sylar forcibly removes the shunt by ripping it out of his skull.

Angela places Peter in a Level 5 cell and puts a shunt in his head to incapacitate him.

Sylar forcefully removes the shunt from Peter's face. Later, Peter reinserts the shunt into Sylar's nose.

In a Behind the Eclipse session, writer-producers Joe Pokaski and Aron Coleite said that Danko pumps evolved humans with a liquid that is a "derivative of the same drug that they shunted Sylar with."

A cerebral shunt is commonly used to treat patients with hydrocephalus, a condition where excess fluid under the skull creates pressure on the brain. The shunt helps to relieve pressure by draining the fluid. The exact purpose of the Company's shunt is unknown, though the shunt does seem to effective incapacitate the patient.
In the commentary for The Fix, writer Natalie Chaidez said that the shunt was used to drain Sylar's brain fluid for testing purposes.