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# Procedures

Arterial blood gas sampling, lumbar puncture, thoracentesis, chest drain, paracentesis, arthrocentesis, abscess drainage and nasal packing.

11 pages

- [**Arterial blood gas sampling and the Allen test** A small blood sample is taken from an artery, usually at the wrist, to measure oxygen, carbon…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/arterial-blood-gas-sampling-and-the-allen-test/)
- [**Arthrocentesis of the knee** A needle is passed into the swollen knee to draw off joint fluid, both to find the cause of the…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/arthrocentesis-of-the-knee/)
- [**Chest drain insertion and care** A tube is placed between the ribs into the chest to let out air, blood, pus or fluid and keep…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/chest-drain-insertion-and-care/)
- [**Diagnostic and large-volume paracentesis** A needle is placed through the belly wall to take out fluid that has collected in the abdomen…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/diagnostic-and-large-volume-paracentesis/)
- [**Diagnostic and therapeutic pleural aspiration** A needle or thin tube is placed between the ribs to take fluid from around the lung, to test it…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/diagnostic-and-therapeutic-pleural-aspiration/)
- [**Difficult urethral catheterisation and suprapubic options** When the usual tube will not pass into the bladder, doctors use special tubes, a guide or a tube…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/difficult-urethral-catheterisation-and-suprapubic-options/)
- [**Epistaxis: compression, cautery and nasal packing** A nosebleed is stopped step by step: pressing the soft nose, then sealing the bleeding spot…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/epistaxis-compression-cautery-and-nasal-packing/)
- [**Fine-needle aspiration of a lump** A very thin needle takes a few cells from a lump so a pathologist can look at them under the…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/fine-needle-aspiration-of-a-lump/)
- [**Incision and drainage of a skin abscess** The skin over a pus collection is cut open so the pus drains out; letting it out, more than…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/incision-and-drainage-of-a-skin-abscess/)
- [**Lumbar puncture** A thin needle is passed between two bones of the lower back to collect the fluid around the…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/lumbar-puncture/)
- [**Needle aspiration and decompression of a pneumothorax** A needle is put into the chest to let out air that has collapsed a lung, either calmly or as an…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/needle-aspiration-and-decompression-of-a-pneumothorax/)

## A to Z

- [A](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/a/)
- [B](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/b/)
- [C](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/c/)
- [D](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/d/)
- [E](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/e/)
- [F](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/f/)
- [H](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/h/)
- [I](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/i/)
- [L](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/l/)
- [N](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/n/)
- [O](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/o/)
- [P](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/p/)
- [R](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/r/)
- [S](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/s/)
- [T](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/t/)
- [U](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/u/)
- [V](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/v/)

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Educational content; it does not replace supervised hands-on training, your institution's protocols or a prescriber's order. A procedure is learnt with a teacher and done only once you are trained to do it.

Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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Source: https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/areas/procedures/
License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/areas/procedures/