When should you consider arthrocentesis for your patient?

Arthrocentesis is the puncture of a joint and aspiration of joint fluid. It can be used for diagnosing and treating conditions of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, knee, and ankle joints.

There are five common reasons for performing an arthrocentesis:

1. For the evaluation of suspected septic arthritis.
2. For the evaluation for joint inflammation like gout, arthritis, and hemarthrosis (blood in the joint).
3. To provide therapy, such as when injecting steroids and anesthesia into the joint.
4. For pain relief by removing fluid in the joint due to bleeding or inflammation.
5. For the evaluation of potential joint laceration with methylene blue.

There are four major situations where you should not perform an arthrocentesis:

1. Your patient has a coagulopathy (impaired clot formation).
2. Your patient has thrombocytopenia (lack of platelets).
3. Your patient has a prosthetic joint.
4. Your patient has a skin infection at the site of skin puncture.

If you decide that the benefit of making a diagnosis outweighs the risk, then the procedure should be done. For patients with prosthetics, orthopedic surgeons prefer to perform the procedure themselves in these patients. Call them whenever possible.

However, to proceed with arthrocentesis, you must get informed consent from your patient.

Informed consent involves telling your patient the reason for the test, alternatives, and potential complications.

The main complications of arthrocentesis are the risks of infection and bleeding. Infection can develop in a septic joint. Bleeding can lead to a painful hemarthrosis.

If the patient refuses an arthrocentesis or has a contraindication to it, then appropriate alternatives can be discussed.

If your patient refuses an arthrocentesis, or has contraindications to it, what alternatives are there?

It is important for your patient to know that there are no appropriate alternatives for this treatment. In the case of a septic joint, antibiotics can be prescribed if the patient is presenting with a fever, or a hot and swollen joint.

Now you know what an arthrocentesis procedure is. Great work!

That’s it for now. If you want to improve your understanding of key concepts in medicine, and improve your clinical skills, make sure to register for a free trial account, which will give you access to free videos and downloads. We’ll help you make the right decisions for yourself and your patients.