In:
Hemodialysis International, Wiley, Vol. 12, No. 2 ( 2008-04), p. 264-267
Abstract:
Accidental venous needle dislodgement during hemodialysis may cause serious bleeding including a sometimes fatal outcome. The venous pressure gauge of the dialysis monitor does not react when dislodgement occurs. A sensor patch put as an adhesive over the venous needle puncture site connected to an alarm unit by an optic fiber has been clinically tested in 5 dialysis departments. A small amount of blood on the sensor activates a light and sound alarm. A simple questionnaire was filled out by the nurses at each dialysis concerning their feeling of safety when the new device was used. Forty‐one patients, mean age 65 years, have tested the new safety device. Two hundred test dialyses were studied, after exclusion of 13 tests. One hundred seventy‐nine tests reacted positively on blood. In another 6 dialyses, a warning light appeared on the alarm unit indicating a failure in the sensor patch. Thus, the alarm functioned in 92.5% of all tests. After a small modification of the sensor patches there were only 2 dialyses (2/71) without an activated alarm on blood, i.e., 97.2% positive alarm reactions. The answers of the nurses indicated that they had an increased feeling of safety when using the new safety device, with a mean value of 3.4 points on a visual scale from 0 to 5 where 5 meant very much increased safety. In a situation when the dialysis monitors today do not react on bleedings from venous needle dislodgements, the new alarm safety device fulfils a known shortage in routine dialysis safety. In situations where supervision during a dialysis session may be insufficient as, for example, in home hemodialysis and self‐care dialysis or in other situations when the patient is sleeping, the device may be life saving.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1492-7535
,
1542-4758
DOI:
10.1111/hdi.2008.12.issue-2
DOI:
10.1111/j.1542-4758.2008.00263.x
Language:
English
Publisher:
Wiley
Publication Date:
2008
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2103570-2
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