The Must Knows of IR: Part 2 (For first timers in IR)

IR Procedural Best Practices: Setup, Grip, and Wire Handling

This episode moves beyond basic instrument knowledge to focus on the subtle physical habits and organizational tricks that distinguish expert operators from novices, aiming to maximize efficiency and safety.

• Air Bubble Management: We review the three techniques for removing deadly air bubbles—inversion, flicking, and the "push-pull" vacuum method—and why you must always hold syringes horizontal or tip-up during injection.

• Expert Grip: Learn why precise tools (scalpels) need a "pencil grip," while clamps should be "palmed" (avoiding the finger loops) to utilize the thenar eminence for instant 360-degree rotation.

• Back Table Hygiene: We cover the cognitive-load-reducing rules of the back table: keeping sharps in the top left corner and ensuring the table stays strictly dry to maintain sterility.

• Mastering Wires: We detail specific techniques for handling slippery hydrophilic wires—pinch with fingernails, not pads, keep them wet, and use the "J-tip trick" to straighten curves for easy loading.

Tune in to learn how standardizing these physical habits frees up your brain to focus on high-level clinical decisions.