Version July 2025
| Gloves |
| Sterile for difficult procedure that requires touching the field, otherwise nonsterile for "no-touch" technique* |
| Site preparation |
| Towels or pillow for supporting joint in a particular position if needed |
| Drape and/or absorbent pads, depending on the size of joint |
| Scissors to trim hair if needed |
| Skin sterilization supplies (eg, iodine disinfectant, chlorhexidine) |
| Local anesthesia – various approaches may include the following: |
| Ethyl chloride spray |
Subcutaneous lidocaine
|
| Arthrocentesis |
| Needle, with gauge and length to be determined by joint size and location (often 22-gauge) |
| Syringe, with size to be determined by estimated effusion size (often 5 mL) |
| Specimen tubes, patient labels, and biohazard bag to send fluid studies |
| Intraarticular injection |
| Medications for injection in single-dose vials |
| Needles, often a large-gauge needle for drawing up medication (eg, 18) and a smaller-gauge needle for injection, with gauge and length to be determined by joint size and location (often 22-gauge) |
| Syringe, with size to be determined by medication volume (often 5 mL) |
| Post-procedure care |
| Gauze and/or alcohol swabs to clean away any excess fluid |
| Skin dressing (often an adhesive bandage) |
