Peritoneal Taps for Removing Ascites Fluids

Paracentesis, or a peritoneal tap, is a procedure emergency physicians often perform to obtain ascitic fluid for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. Catheter aspiration of fluid is performed to determine the etiology in new onset ascites, to look for infection or presence of cancer, or simply to relieve pressure from a painful, distended abdomen that sometimes can interfere with breathing. Contraindications to the procedure might include an acute abdomen, severe thrombocytopenia, or a coagulopathy. Relative contraindications include pregnancy, a distended urinary bladder, abdominal wall cellulitis, adhesions, or distended bowel.Our video this month is one of the best step-by-step presentations you will ever find for safely performing this procedure. Richard Gordon, MD, expertly shows how to use an ultrasound to window-shop for the best location to insert the peritoneal catheter. He expertly points out other potential mistakes commonly made by novices throughout the video.Click here to watch the use ultrasound to locate the best spot for the peritoneal catheter.​More than four liters of ascites were removed from this patient during the peritoneal tap.​Tags: emergency medicine, peritoneal taps, fluids, catheter aspirationPublished: 3/1/2016 7:32:00 AM
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