[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › Clinical skills # Clinical skills Sutures, procedures, labs, the ECG and OSCE stations. 88 pages ## Start here - [ECG tracing **Broad-complex tachycardia, VF and the arrest rhythms** Dangerous fast rhythms that start in the ventricles, and the four rhythms of cardiac arrest…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/broad-complex-tachycardia-vf-and-the-arrest-rhythms/) - [Interpretation **Arterial blood gas: worked cases for the station** How to read the oxygen, carbon dioxide and acidity of arterial blood one step at a time, with…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/arterial-blood-gas-worked-cases-for-the-station/) - [Procedure **Splints and the plaster backslab** A firm support moulded along part of a limb, not all the way round, that holds an injury still…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/splints-and-the-plaster-backslab/) - [Procedure **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/) - [Procedure **Opening the airway: head tilt, jaw thrust and simple adjuncts** Simple hand movements and small plastic tubes lift the tongue off the back of the throat so air…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/opening-the-airway-head-tilt-jaw-thrust-and-simple-adjuncts/) - [Interpretation **Reading spirometry: obstructive or restrictive?** The patient blows out as hard and as long as possible; how much and how fast air leaves the…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/reading-spirometry-obstructive-or-restrictive/) - [OSCE station **The emergency (ABCDE) station** An OSCE station with an acutely ill or injured simulated patient, where you assess and treat in…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/the-emergency-station/) - [Procedure **Intraosseous access in an emergency** In an emergency a needle is placed into the marrow of a bone, usually the shin or shoulder, to…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/intraosseous-access-in-an-emergency/) ## Areas - [**T** **The ECG** 16 pages Broad-complex tachycardia, VF and the arrest rhythms · Atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter · Hyperkalaemia and other electrolyte changes](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/areas/ecg/) - [**R** **Reading lab results** 14 pages Arterial blood gas: worked cases for the station · Liver tests: hepatocellular or cholestatic? · The peripheral blood smear: what to look for](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/areas/labs/) - [**Wounds and sutures** 12 pages Splints and the plaster backslab · Animal and human bites: clean, close or leave open · Assessing a wound: close it now, later or never?](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/areas/wounds/) - [**Procedures** 11 pages Arthrocentesis of the knee · Difficult urethral catheterisation and suprapubic options · Epistaxis: compression, cautery and nasal packing](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/areas/procedures/) - [**Airway and cardiac procedures** 10 pages Opening the airway: head tilt, jaw thrust and simple adjuncts · Recording a 12-lead ECG · Transcutaneous pacing](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/areas/airway-cardiac/) - [**O** **OSCE stations** 9 pages The emergency (ABCDE) station · The counselling and explanation station · The physical-examination station: what examiners look for](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/areas/stations/) - [**V** **Vascular access** 6 pages Intraosseous access in an emergency · Balloon tamponade for bleeding varices · Central venous catheter: sites, Seldinger technique and checks](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/areas/vascular/) - [**Other investigations** 10 pages Reading spirometry: obstructive or restrictive? · Echocardiography: transthoracic and transoesophageal · Holter and ambulatory blood-pressure monitoring](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/areas/investigations/) ## 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/) ## About this section What a doctor does with their hands and reads at the bedside: wounds and sutures, procedures step by step with the reason for each step, vascular access, the airway, how to read a blood count, a chemistry panel or a body fluid, the method for reading an ECG and its classic tracings, and how to prepare the OSCE stations. The examination manoeuvres are in Clinical examination and the nursing procedures in Nursing. 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. --- Source: https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/ License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/