Abstract
Background
Lumbar puncture is a procedure that is commonly performed in emergency departments.
Despite their absence from procedure kits, emergency physicians often use skin markers
to delineate landmarks for a lumbar puncture. We prefer to create a temporary indentation
in the skin using the suction of a syringe. This “syringe hickey” eliminates the need
for a skin marker.
Discussion
We created a photo demonstration comparing the syringe hickey to a skin marker for
site marking. The syringe hickey was created using a 10-mL syringe aspirated to 5
mL on the forearm for 1 min. The syringe hickey lasted over 30 min on a range of skin
tones across the Fitzpatrick Scale. The skin marker faded but the syringe hickey maintained
its definition after application of ultrasound gel and sterilization with either chlorhexidine
or betadine.
Conclusions
The syringe hickey is a simple skin marking technique that is resistant to antiseptic
agents and ultrasound gel. The syringe hickey may be useful for other procedures that
require puncture site marking.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 25, 2023
Accepted:
January 9,
2023
Received in revised form:
January 8,
2023
Received:
August 9,
2022
Identification
Copyright
© 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
