A comparison of simple tests to distinguish cerebrospinal fluid from saline

This prospective study was undertaken to determine if anesthesiologists of different levels of training, using simple tests, can distinguish cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from saline. Thirty-two anaesthetists, divided into four groups, dependent upon levels of training, participated in the study. Each w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian journal of anesthesia 1997-05, Vol.44 (5), p.494-497
Main Authors: WALKER, D. S, BROCK-UTNE, J. G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anesthesia
Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy
Anesthesiology - education
Biological and medical sciences
Cerebrospinal Fluid
Glucose - analysis
Humans
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Local anesthesia. Pain (treatment)
Medical diagnosis
Medical sciences
Prospective Studies
Sodium Chloride
Temperature
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Summary:This prospective study was undertaken to determine if anesthesiologists of different levels of training, using simple tests, can distinguish cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from saline. Thirty-two anaesthetists, divided into four groups, dependent upon levels of training, participated in the study. Each was asked to distinguish saline from an artificial CSF solution using four different tests: tactile temperature, glucose strip, pH strip, and turbidity when mixed with thiopental. Participants identified cerebrospinal fluid correctly with 84% accuracy using the temperature test, 97% using the glucose test, 91% using the pH test, and 50% using the thiopentone test. More than half of the participants guessed while using the thiopentone test, and those who did not guess were only 47% accurate. Level of training made no difference in distinguishing CSF from saline. No one test was 100% reliable. Clinical utility of the thiopentone test appears to be limited. The temperature, glucose, and pH tests, when used together, appear to be a useful way of distinguishing CSF from saline.
ISSN:0832-610X
1496-8975
DOI:10.1007/BF03011937