PTA 1 LabeledPeritonsillar abscess drainage in the ED continues to be one of my favorite procedures to perform. There are several tricks to increase your chances for a successful aspiration. One trick involves using a curved laryngoscope to help depress the tongue AND provide a bright light source.

What if you don’t have a laryngoscope readily available?

Trick of the Trade

Use a fiberoptically-lit, plastic pelvic speculum
PelvicSpeculum2sm
PelvicSpeculum4sm
  1. Slide off the top of the plastic pelvic speculum
  2. Attach the fiberoptic light source.
  3. Use as a lighted tongue depressor!
Michelle Lin, MD

Michelle Lin, MD

ALiEM Founder and CEO
Professor and Digital Innovation Lab Director
Department of Emergency Medicine
University of California, San Francisco
Michelle Lin, MD

@M_Lin

Professor of Emerg Med at UCSF-Zuckerberg SF General. ALiEM Founder @aliemteam #PostitPearls at https://t.co/50EapJORCa Bio: https://t.co/7v7cgJqNEn
Michelle Lin, MD