Bedside Procedures for General Surgeons

This review is focused on 12 procedures that are commonly performed by general surgeons in the emergency department, critical care unit, operating room, and outpatient clinic. The review begins with eight critical care procedures: percutaneous tracheostomy, saphenous vein cutdown, percutaneous arterial cannulation, subclavian venous catheter placement by landmark technique, internal jugular venous catheter placement under ultrasound guidance, needle chest decompression, tube thoracostomy, and pericardiocentesis for trauma. Next, the diagnostic procedure of focused assessment with sonography for trauma (FAST) is described. The review finishes with three procedures that are frequently performed in the outpatient setting: temporal artery biopsy, simple abscess drainage, and muscle biopsy. Although considered basic procedures, each has its own set of key steps that must be learned, practiced, and mastered. Included in the description for each procedure are technical points that are intended to facilitate successful performance of the procedures as well as pitfalls to avoid. The most frequent complications for each procedure are briefly discussed in an effort to raise awareness so that