Medical Music Mondays: 3 LPs and 1 DJ
There are several things you can do to increase your likelihood of success when performing a lumbar puncture in children. Local anesthesia! Early stylet removal! Needle bevel to the hips!
You don’t need labs or CT scans in children who have recovered after a simple febrile or first time seizure
Labs or CT scans are not necessary to provide additional diagnostic information or reassurance for most children who recover completely following simple febrile seizures or unprovoked first time generalized seizures. The rate of abnormalities on these studies is very low, and the cost and downsides are too high to justify ordering them on a regular basis.
J-Tip for infant Lumbar Puncture? Does needle free anesthetic help?
Is there any evidence to suggest that J-Tip can replace or supplement injected lidocaine for local anesthesia during infant LP? Read on!
Why we do what we do: Early stylet removal for lumbar puncture in infants
Early stylet removal is a technique that results in a greater success rate on lumbar punctures performed on infants.
You don’t need to do an LP on (most) patients with complex febrile seizures
Do you need to do an LP if a child has a complex febrile seizure? Probably not. Why not? Read this post to learn about the evidence, where the guidelines are lacking and more.
What are the normal CSF values for infants?
Per a large, multicenter study the upper limit for WBC in CSF in infants with fever ≤28 days is 15 cells/mm3 and 29–60 days: 9 cells/mm3.
Ultrasound assisted lumbar puncture in children
Did you know that ultrasound can help you perform a lumbar puncture?
How to succeed on your next Lumbar Puncture
Lumbar Punctures can be intimidating. They don't have to be. Check out this post from Bryce Carter, a resident at Cincinnati Children's on factors associated with success when performing a LP.
What did we learn today?
Check out these resources that reinforce concepts taught in a recent education session at Cincinnati Childrens.
Why we do what we do: Early stylet removal in lumbar puncture
There are numerous techniques that we can use to improve our likelihood of success in performing a lumbar puncture. There is one that has a bit of nuance to it that I thought would be an excellent theme for my latest Why We Do What [...]