The Case

There are a few cases I could talk about… Ultrasound guided LPs have turned out to be a surprisingly useful skill. Lucky for you, I’ve restrained myself.

The first time I heard about ultrasound guided LPs was during a spectacular yearlong ultrasound elective in medical school. I was sitting in the doctor’s pod with THE ultrasound attending of ultrasound attendings. He casually asked “Have you ever heard of ultrasound guided LPs?” Never. “Do you want to see one?” Obviously. He explained how ultrasound guided LPs follow the principle of “Measure twice. Cut once.” He spent a minute (and I mean literally just one minute) visualizing the spinal landmarks and marking them on a somewhat altered, seriously chunky patient. He proceeded to get the LP in one stick! I remember thinking he was a wizard in that moment, a wizard who uses ultrasound to elevate patient care to another level; and that I want to be the badass attending that gets LPs on obese, altered patients in one stick. I had to learn this skill… Continue reading Getting to the Point of Ultrasound Assisted Lumbar Punctures →