Physical Exam Findings: What Is Sticking Out Of My Patient?

OVERVIEW

Often times during the physical exam, medical professionals may find externally visible portions of medical equipment whose identity might be a mystery. This guide is designed to serve as a practical reference guide to help answer the question: What Is Sticking Out Of My Patient?

Example of an externally visible G-tube. Sometimes the nature of such externally visible medical equipment might be difficult to ascertain. This guide aims to address this difficulty (image source)
ORGANIZATION OF THE PAGE

In the spirit of trying to be as clinically relevant as possible, this guide is organized by the anatomical location of the medical equipment in question. Often times when someone asks themselves the question of “what exactly is sticking out of my patient?” the first clue in identifying the answer can be where the item is located.

UNKONW MEDICAL EQUIPMENT PROTRUDING FROM THE THORAX

The thorax may be the location of various categories of medical equipment including:

  • Chest Tubes
UNKONW MEDICAL EQUIPMENT PROTRUDING FROM THE ARM

The arm may be the location of various categories of medical equipment including:

  • PICC Lines
UNKONW MEDICAL EQUIPMENT PROTRUDING FROM THE ABDOMEN

The abdomen may be the location of various categories of medical equipment including:

Percutaneous feeding tubes: there are many different types of these feeding tubes that fall into the major categories below.

While the categories above are useful, often times the identify of the tube is unknown and needs to be uncovered. This guide on characterizing percutaneous feeding tubes starts at the physical exam, and provides a methodical approach (beginning with the history/physical exam) on how to properly characterize the tube in question.  For further reference read this page dedicated to the anatomy of percutaneous feeding tubes. 

 

 

Page Updated: 09.03.2017