Let the Hand Take a Bath with Ultrasound for Foreign Bodies

​Some procedures are worth doing over and over because they are easy and fun. The bonus is they can improve outcomes for patients and prevent bouncebacks, costly follow-up exams, and prolonged pain and complications. This month we discuss the use of the ultrasound (US) water bath and bedside imaging for foreign bodies (FB). If you would like to see more about using ultrasound for FBs, see our previous blog post about wine glass in the foot. (http://bit.ly/2HSQLvZ.)​Bedside US is an exquisite technique that can be used to examine and explore numerous parts of the body without using radiation. This procedure uses a simple technique, and can be mastered with just a little bit of practice. You can perform this procedure even if you are not formally trained in US technology. Patients with FBs in the hand or foot may benefit from this approach because retained FBs can cause infection, pain, keloids, granulomas, or other cosmetic issues. Early removal of foreign material is helpful in avoiding these complications.Using a water bath "replaces the need for ultrasound gel or contact between the ultrasound transducer and the patient's skin," eliminating discomfort. (Am J Emerg Med 2004;22[7]:589.) This may make your patient more cooperative during the examination. The provider may also obtain superior images using this technique. (Am J Emerg Med 2004;22[7]:589.)​US can be used on patients of all ages with a variety of retained FBs. Foreign bodies that have be...
Source: The Procedural Pause - Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs