Tools of the trade

We are almost ready to talk about how to do the lumbar puncture. First, an introduction to the equipment you will be using. The lumbar puncture kit contains: two sterile drapes, three cleaning sponges, a 20 gauge spinal needle, a 25 gauge and a 20 gauge needle for anesthetic infiltration, a 3cc syringe, a vial of 1% lidocaine for anesthesia, a pressure manometer with tubing, four collection vials and a Band-Aid. The other tools you may need include sterile gloves, a facemask, a gown, and proviodine cleaning solution. If you are performing the lumbar puncture with a small atraumatic needle as discussed later, you will need to add to the kit a small gauge Sprotte or Whitacre needle and a regular 18 gauge needle. The kit should look similar to the photograph below:

Figure 3. LP tray

Figure 3. LP tray