Specimen jars should be labeled and numbered and taken to the laboratory immediately and refrigerated.
The nurse should position the client with the head of the bed up 20 degrees so the client can drink fluids to replace CSF removed during the procedure.
The nurse should put the client in the low semi-Fowler’s position with a pillow under her abdomen to increase intraabdominal pressure.
The nurse should assess for numbness, tingling, pain at injection site, movement of the extremities, any drainage at the site, and the ability to void.
Number 4 is correct.
After a lumbar puncture, the nurse should assess for numbness, tingling, pain at injection site, movement of the extremities, any drainage at the site, and the ability to void. Report unusual findings to the health care provider. Specimens should not be refrigerated. The client must lie in a reclining position for up to 12 hours with the head flat to avoid a spinal headache. The client may sip through a straw to replace fluids. Positioning the client prone with a pillow under the abdomen increases intraabdominal pressure, which indirectly increases the pressure in the tissues surrounding the spinal cord. This helps slow continued CSF flow from the spinal canal.
