[How the bed rest period and the posture assumed by the patient post lumbar puncture caninfluence the onset of complications: a rapid evidence assessment].

AIM: To identify how the bed rest period and the posture assumed by the patient after lumbar puncture can influence the onset of complications, and which nursing interventions to adopt in order to reduce the complications.

METHOD: A rapid assessment review was performed and the electronic databases PubMed, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched between 2001 and 2015.

RESULTS: Initially, 407 studies were retrieved, and 5 of these publications were considered to be eligible for the purpose of the study,4 comparing different periods of bed rest and 1 comparing patients position. Headache, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms, do not seem to reduce with a 24 hours longer bed rest. There is a lack of evidence on the effectiveness of early mobilization, as well as on the effects of different postures after the procedure performed to reduce the incidence of complications. Only a statistically significant gender difference in the onset of the headache was found: women seem to be more at risk. The selected studies showed a medium-low methodological quality and a high heterogeneity in the systems used to measure the symptoms, in the features and dimensions of the investigated populations.

CONCLUSIONS: Currently available data do not permit to identify care interventions related to effective bed rest period based on scientific evidences in order to prevent post rachicentesis complications. It is therefore considered necessary to conduct further experimental and observational studies, with a high methodological rigor in order to maximize the effectiveness of nursing care.