Please note content is for educational purposes only and procedures should not conducted based on this information. OSCEstop and authors take no responsibility for errors or for the use of any content.
Indications: to aid in the diagnosis of the cause of a pleural effusion (not a therapeutic procedure)
Open sterile pack to form a sterile field on the top of the trolley
Open packets (without touching the instruments themselves) and drop sterile instruments neatly into the sterile field
Pick up waste bag from sterile pack without touching anything else and stick to side of trolley
Patient part
Positioning and exposure
Expose patientβs chest
Position patient sitting on chair or edge of bed with raised arms (crossed arms leaning on a bedside table or hands on head)
Locate insertion point:
5th intercostal space, mid-axillary line
Within the safe triangle formed by
Anterior border of latissimus dorsi
Lateral border of pectoralis major
Horizontal line from the nipple (5th intercostal space)
Just above a rib (to avoid neurovascular bundle)
Use different site if there is overlying infection
Confirm effusion is present at proposed entry site using portable ultrasound scanner (different sites may be used if there is more fluid elsewhere)
Mark insertion point with a skin pen/indentation
Preparation
Wash hands
Apply sterile gloves using sterile technique (open pack on a side surface)
Sterilize area
Work from middle outwards in one spiral motion (using cleansing snap-sponge)
Repeat with second cleansing snap-sponge
Discard used snap-sponges as they are no longer sterile, but note all equipment used after this (including all needles) can be returned to the sterile field after use
OPTIONAL: Apply the sterile drape over the patientβs body so that the hole is in the correct place to allow access to the insertion site (or apply 2-3 drapes centred around exposed insertion site if no holes)
Anaesthetise tract
Ask assistant to snap open lidocaine bottle and hold open upside-down
Draw up lidocaine using drawing-up needle on 10 ml syringe and expel any air
Change to the orange needle and insert at an acute angle to form a single subcutaneous bleb around insertion site in order to anaesthetise the skin
Change to the green needle and insert perpendicular to the skin to anaesthetise the insertion tract
This is done by instilling lidocaine in small increments of increasing depth β only anaesthetise the intercostal muscles and pleura (the fat inbetween has no nerves)
Always aspirate when advancing the needle (so you know when you get to the pleural cavity) and aspirate before injecting lidocaine (to check you are not in a vessel)
When fluid (from pleural cavity) is aspirated, note entry depth, then withdraw the needle
DO NOT PROCEED if you do not get an aspirate!
Wait 1 minute to work
Pleural aspiration
With 50ml syringe on a new green needle, insert perpendicular to the skin into the insertion tract
Aspirate during infiltration
As soon as fluid is aspirated, stop advancing the needle and aspirate 50ml (or as much as possible)
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