Author Question: When performing a percutaneous needle puncture of the radial artery, you get only a small spurt of ... (Read 74 times)

clmills979 · **on:** Jul 16, 2018

When performing a percutaneous needle puncture of the radial artery, you get only a small spurt of blood. Which of the following is the best action at this time?

a. Slowly withdraw the needle until a pulsa-tile flow fills the syringe.
b. Pull out entirely, use a different angle and then reinsert it.
c. Slowly advance the needle until a pulsatile flow fills the syringe.
d. Repeat the procedure with a fresh blood gas kit.

Question 2

A patient suffering from traumatic brain injury in the ICU has a PtO2 (tissue oxygen) value of 10 to 15 mm Hg, what does this indicate?

a. Normal intracranial pressure
b. Ischemic brain damage
c. Normal cerebral perfusion
d. Cerebral hyperperfusion

apple · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 16, 2018

Answer to Question 1

ANS: A
If you get only a small spurt of blood, the needle has probably passed through the artery. In this situation, slowly withdraw the needle until a pulsatile flow fills the syringe.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: B
In patients with traumatic brain injury, brain tissue oxygen (PtO2) values when intracranial pres-sure and cerebral perfusion are normal are between 25 and 30 mm Hg. The critical threshold for ischemic brain damage and poor outcome is suspected to be around a brain PtO2 of 10 to 15 mm Hg.