musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders
How To Do Metacarpophalangeal and Interphalangeal Joint Arthrocentesis
Tips and Tricks for MCP and IP Joint Arthrocentesis
Note also that warmth, tenderness, and erythema may overlie an acutely inflamed arthritic joint, mimicking extra-articular infection. When trying to differentiate infectious arthritis from infection of the overlying structures (a Contraindications ), infectious arthritis is more likely with the following: Joint effusion Circumferential joint pain and capsule tenderness Pain with both gentle, passive motion and with active joint motion When inspecting fluid, consider the following: The hemarthrosis of a traumatic tap tends to be nonuniformly bloody and tends to clot. There may be no visible aspirated fluid from small joints. However, the syringe should still be used to express even a trivial drop of fluid through the needle on to a slide for microscopic evaluation. This may be sufficient to document crystal-associated arthritis or increase suspicion for infection. 