# Lumbar Puncture --- A **lumbar puncture** is a procedure that extracts a small amount of [[cerebrospinal fluid]] from the [[spinal cord|lumbar region]] or the spinal cord that can be used to test for a bunch of things, such as: - blood - indicates a [[hemorrhagic stroke|subarachnoid hemorrhage]] - glucose - cell count - white blood cells indicate [[meningitis]] - culture - cytology ![[lumbar puncture.png]] ## Nursing Considerations After the procedure the patient must remine supine for at least 30 minutes, with the head of the bead at 0 degrees. Monitor neuro status and be careful not to contaminate puncture site. Potential complications: - herniation - CSF leakage - tinnitus ___