Spinal Tap

Tetracaine is a substance used medicinally as a spinal anesthetic during lumbar punctures (spinal taps). 

CSF examination via lumbar puncture (LP, spinal tap) contraindicated in patients with cardiorespiratory compromise,... 

Psychotic Disorder Due to Generai Medical Condition. Certain medical illnesses occasionally present with symptoms of paranoid delnsions or hallucinations that resemble schizophrenia (Table 4.4). When these illnesses are snccessfully treated, fnll resolntion of the psychotic symptoms invariably occnrs. All patients presenting with new-onset psychosis shonld nndergo a thorongh medical evaluation including a physical exam, family and personal medical history, and laboratory stndies inclnding electrolytes, thyroid function tests, syphilis screen, vitamin B12 and folate levels, and a CT or MRI brain scan. A lumbar puncture (spinal tap) and electroencephalogram are sometimes also warranted. 

Optional studies HIV antibody screen Chest x-ray Urine drug screen Ceruloplasmin (if Wilson s disease suspected) Lumbar puncture (spinal tap) Electroencephalograph (EEG)... 

CNS- During and immediately following spinal tap, spinal anesthesia, or major surgery, especially of the brain, spinal cord, or eye. 

Patient 1. This 24-year-old male university student was brought to the emergency department at 1600 h by his roommate. He was delirious and had a depressed level of consciousness. Although he had been well the previous day, that morning he had complained of a fever, severe headache, severe neck and back stiffness, nausea, and vomiting. He had become progressively unwell over 7-8 hours. On physical examination he was acutely ill with a temperature of 40°C. He was delirious and had neck rigidity with severe resistance to any attempt to passively flex his neck. A CT scan of his brain was normal. A spinal tap was performed and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was removed it was cloudy. 

Lumbar CSF (1-2 ml) is collected and immediately stored at -20°C. Since there is a rostrocaudal gradient for CSF, the first 2 ml that emerges from the spinal tap is not suitable for quantification of GABA and /3-alanine. Otherwise, false negative values can occur. 

The effect of stimulants on child behavior was first reported in 1937. Charles Bradley, a physician working with children of normal intelligence who had neurological and behavioral disorders, prescribed Benzedrine to treat headaches in children who had undergone a spinal tap. Although the headaches did not disappear with the amphetamines, the children s level of activity decreased tremendously and their academic performance and compliance increased. 

The major concern of the emergency department physicians was the lethargy, hypotonia, and seizure activity. Initial laboratory studies revealed that the child had a normal complete blood count and smear. Other blood tests revealed metabolic acidosis with a bicarbonate concentration of 11 mEq/L (normal is 20-25 mEq/L) and an anion gap of 22 mEq/L (normal is < 15 mEq/L). His serum glucose, calcium, and magnesium concentrations were normal. To exclude the diagnosis of meningitis, a spinal tap was performed. The cell counts and chemistries of the cerebrospinal fluid were normal. The physicians considered that the child might have sepsis and administered antibiotics and intravenous fluids. Prior to administration of antibiotics, blood, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid were sent for bacterial culture. 

For fungal infections of the central nervous sy.stcm (CMS (c.g.. cryptococcosis), amphotericin B is mix with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that is obtained from a. spinal tap. Ihr solution of amphotericin B is then reinjected through Ac tap. For severe infections, this procedure may need to bt repeated many times. 

A second phase in diagnosis occurs after the seizures have stopped and the patient is stabilized. It is important to determine if the patient is febrile or has a systemic or central nervous system (CNS) infection. Many physiologic consequences of GCSE (e.g., leukocytosis, pleocytosis, and hyperthermia) produce symptoms that may be confused with other conditions. If a CNS infection is suspected, empirical antibiotics should be started, and a spinal tap should be performed. In order to rule out vascular, neoplastic, or infectious etiologies, computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) should be obtained. 

I looked at the small white tablet and images of the spinal tap, the brain scan. The poison meds the docs gave me are making me sick. 

Ever since This Is Spinal Tap, student films about performance, filmmaking, writing, and music have relied on the hybrid form loosely called the mockumentary. This is a form that both evokes realism and pokes fun at it. Not quite as intense as the satire, the mockumentary criticizes gently the subject of the film, which is often the media as it interacts with, and often creates, a star. In this sense, the mockumentary is a self-reflexive and self-critical form, as the "mock" in the word suggests. If your idea centers on the relationship between the public and a character, and if the media can play a role in the story, the mockumentary is an amusing and often insightful form. 

A clinical decision support system should report at the foot of the screen all possible notifiable diseases, or diseases of current epidemic concern, for which the patient s current symptoms form a suggestive subset. For example, in the case of anthrax these are fever, general discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling (malaise), headache, shortness of breath, cough, congestion of the nose and throat, pneumonia, joint stiffness, and joint pain. But such symptoms are not confined to anthrax infection, and the physician will need to take samples for tests, and pause for results if there is no reason to suspect anthrax because of exposure to infected humans, animals, or other sources. The tests will include blood cultures positive for anthrax, chest X ray, serologic test for anthrax, and spinal tap for CSF culture and analysis. 

A clear fluid secreted by the ventricles of the brain, which bathes both the brain and the spinal cord. It serves to (1) act as a medium for the exchange of nutrients and metabolic products with the nerve cells (2) regulate the fluid content and pressure within the brain and spinal cord and (3) protect the tissues of the brain against injury. Doctors may withdraw some of the cerebrospinal fluid from the spine (spinal tap) in order to diagnose certain diseases. 

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