Equipment Used in a Lumbar Puncture
A lumbar puncture or spinal tap is the procedure of inserting a hypodermic needle in your lower back between two lumbar bones. The process is most commonly executed in an attempt to collect a sample of the cerebrospinal fluid for laboratory analysis and thus, achieving a diagnosis. However, it is also done to inject medication, anesthetics and measure the pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid.
The procedure is frequently practiced by doctors across the world to diagnose conditions like subarachnoid hemorrhage, multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, and serious infections like meningitis, syphilis, et cetera. So now that we have an idea of what a lumbar puncture is, let us find out about the equipment used while performing a lumbar puncture.
1. Sterile Gloves
Naturally, it is absolutely essential that the doctor performing the procedure has sterile gloves on in order to prevent any infection or contamination.
2. Antiseptic Solution with Skin Swabs
With the help of an antiseptic solution and skin swabs, the patient’s skin is properly disinfected starting at the L3-L4 interspace and including more than 1 interspace above and below in a circular fashion.
3. Sterile Drape and Fenestrated Drape
After disinfecting the patient’s lower back a sterile drape is placed below the patient and a fenestrated drape is placed on the patient to ensure a simple procedure. A fenestrated drape comes with a tape the can be pasted on the patient’s back to keep the drape in position throughout the procedure.
4. Syringe
A syringe is required to administer the local anesthetic into the patient’s lumbar region. This allows the doctors to make adjustments to the needle and conduct the procedure without causing any pain to the patient.
5. Spinal Needle with Stylet
The hypodermic needle is used to collect the cerebrospinal fluid from the subarachnoid space and the stylet helps convert the hollow needle into a solid one in order to prevent the needle from carving out a plug of the epidermis and transplanting it into the subarachnoid space.
6. Manometer and Three-Way Stopcock
In order to measure the opening pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid, the manometer is attached through the stop cock, once the fluid starts returning and the height of the fluid column is noted.
7. Four Plastic Test Tubes with Caps
Once the hypodermic needle is inserted into the lumbar region, the doctor removes the stylet and collects approximately 10 drops of cerebrospinal fluid in each of the four test tubes, preferably the fluid in the manometer can be used to fill the first tube. Once the test tubes are filled the fluid is sent to the labs and the needle is removed after replacing the stylet.
8. Sterile Dressing
Once the needle is removed the doctor cleans the antiseptic solution and applies a sterile dressing on the patient’s lower back, thus successfully completing the Lumbar Puncture.
So now that you know all about the equipment you need to execute a lumbar puncture, waste no time, and order all the products from the best medical brands in the world at Smart Medical Buyer, your one-stop shop for all medical equipment and devices.
