Spinal Tap?

Question

My wife was rushed to the hospital last night, because she was just sitting there and all of a sudden she was hit with a 103 temperature, and started passing out/throwing up. I've been with her all night, and am home for lunch break now.

She had Pneumonia last week, and just got over it a few days ago.

Now, they are wanting to do a Spinal Tap on her? They want to test her for Menigitis?

Any info about a Spinal Tap and Menigistis is apperciated.

Answer 1

a spinal tap is basically a biopsy. they use a needle and draw a miniscule amount of liquid from the spine and thats it. its very uninvasive, and there is virtually no recovery period.

meningitis is a illness that affects the nerves and spine and, if left untreated, the brain. if caught soon enough, there should be a full recovery. if it turns out she does have meningitis, it sounds like she is in the early stages.

i had a kidney biopsy two years ago and it was very easy. they did hit an artery, but there was virtually no bleeding. a kidney biopsy is much more risky than a spinal tap because the spine is closer to the surface, so hopefully it will go well!

wishing you the best!

Answer 2

They are doing the spinal tap to see if the infection has traveled to her spine from the pneumonia. This can happen on a occasion. The infection can be viral or bacterial and is treated with antibiotics. Meningitis is the name given when the infection hits your spinal column and the fluid within. It can also travel to your brain. Other symptoms can be a stiff neck and rigidity of the neck. Fever, nausea, vomiting, and headaches are common as well. In severe cases it may cause someone to pass out or go into convulsions.

The procedure itself is done by giving her a local anesthetic just below the spine. She will be curled up in a fetal like position on her side to do this. Another needle will be inserted at the same place and fluid will be removed. They will check this fluid for any bacteria and a increase in white blood cells. The fluid should be clear but if it is cloudy that may be a infection. Blood is also looked for in the fluid sample. After the procedure she will have a small pressure dressing on the biopsy site(where the fluid was removed). She may be sore there for a while and will be more than likely be placed on her side for awhile as well. Hope this info helps you and my prayers go to you both that it isn't to serious and she will get well soon.

Answer 3

A properly performed spinal tap presents minimal risk as long as you rule out increased intracranial pressure. The spinal needle is inserted between the vertebrae, below the end of the spinal cord. The nerves that come off the cord below that level are bathed in spinal fluid, and they move out of the needle's way should the needle be inserted that far.

An experienced person can feel the needle as it penetrates the dura mater, removes the stylet and watches for the appearance of spinal fluid. Before the advent of trained medical techs, I performed the procedure many times, all without incident.

Meningitis is a serious illness. You want to establish the diagnosis as early and as accurately as possible in order to prevent severe complications. This is best done by a spinal tap (also referred to as a lumbar puncture).

Answer 4

I can certainly understand your worry. First, I do hope your wife is feeling better.

A lumbar puncture, or spinal tap, is a procedure to
remove a small amount of the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord for testing. While doing a tap they will be testing the pressure, and levels of protein, glucose, cell counts, and looking for any bacteria.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes (meninges) and cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord, usually due to the spread of an infection.

The cause of most cases of meningitis is a viral infection, but bacterial and fungal infections also can lead to meningitis. it is treated with IV antibiotics.

Answer 5

A spinal tap or lumbar puncture usually is placed between the 3rd and 4th lumbar space. A large bore hollow needed is introduced to withdraw cerebrospinal fluid for testing. It is a safe but painful procedure. Meningitis is either a bacterial or viral infection of the meninges or the covering of the brain and spinal fluid. Bacterial is the more dangerous and is treated with antibiotics and as with all viruses there is no specific treatment for the viral infection.

Answer 6

They're taking a sample of her spinal fluid because the virus or bacteria that cause meningitis manifests itself in the brain and spinal fluid. There are both bacterial and viral meningitis, and one of them is somewhat easily treatable, but the other one is harder to treat. I'm not sure which is which and I'm not going to post an entire wikipedia page on here. So, maybe you can look up the difference, but you won't know much til those results come back. Best of luck to you both.

Answer 7

its where they touch the spine with a needle to get some of the fluid from it to test for like u said meningitis.dangerous procedure because there dealing with her spine. but everything will be fine.