About this topic
Cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF, surrounds your brain and spinal cord. It protects and gives nutrition to the brain and nerves. A lumbar puncture is done to get a small amount of CSF fluid for testing. It is done to find out if you have illnesses like: ‚
- Infection of the brain
- Swelling of the nervous system
- Spinal cord damage
- Certain types of cancer
- Bleeding in the brain or spinal cord
- Too much fluid in the brain
- Virus in the brain
A lumbar puncture can also be done to: ‚
- Inject a dye in the brain for testing
- Give drugs like chemo, antibiotics, and anesthesia
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What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do.
- Drink lots of fluids for the next 24 hours, especially if a dye was used.
- Talk to your doctor about what you can do after a lumbar puncture. Ask your doctor about:
- When you should take off your bandage
- When you may take a bath or shower
- When you may go back to your normal activities like work or driving
What follow-up care is needed?
- Your doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your progress. Be sure to keep these visits.
- If the test was done to get a sample, the results will help your doctor understand what kind of health problem you have. Together you can make a plan for more care.
What drugs may be needed?
The doctor may order drugs to: ‚
- Help with pain
- Prevent infection
- Help with anxiety
Will physical activity be limited?
Do not take part in any sports or any heavy physical activity for a week after the procedure. ‚
What problems could happen?
- Bleeding
- Damage to nerves and vessels
- Headache
- Infection
When do I need to call the doctor?
- Signs of infection. These include a fever of 100.4 ‚ °F (38 ‚ °C) or higher, chills, or wound that will not heal.
- Swelling, clear fluid, or blood coming out of the puncture site
- Very bad headache
- You are not feeling better in 2 to 3 days or you are feeling worse
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my procedure.
- I can tell you what activities are OK for me to do.
- I can tell you what I will do if I have a bad headache.
Where can I learn more?
KidsHealth ‚
http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/sick/lumbar_puncture.html# ‚
NHS Choices ‚
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Lumbar-puncture/Pages/Introduction.aspx ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
Copyright
Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚