PD is going quite well, except for two or three low drain alerts a night. Any suggestions on how to correct this annoying problem?
Your PD nurse should log in and review the alarm records in order to help modify your treatment. Low drain alerts are typically because the machine is set to a 70% minimum. Meaning it expects 70% of what you put in to come out. This is a setting your nurse can possibly adjust as well.
My husband has had this problem ever since he stated. We are so sick of this. No one has a soltuion. I don’t know what to do. But when he goes to the hospital it does not do this. And no one can explain that to me. Any help would be appricated.
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Thinking about when he’s in the hospital, he’s in a hospital bed that has the option to adjust the head and feet. Does he sleep flat there or with any part of his body elevated? How is the machine height next to him? Is it higher, lower or at the same height as his belly? How close or far away from him is the machine in the hospital compared to at home? Does he sleep in a certain position in the hospital that’s different from how he sleeps at home? Is the hospital bed at a different height from the bed at home? Is the nurse in the hospital doing his set up or is he (or you) doing it just like at home? Are the settings on the machine in the hospital exactly the same as at home? Do his bowels move better in the hospital than at home? One of the most common causes of drain problems is constipation. Other causes include fibrin clogging the pores in the catheter, the catheter is not in the correct position to remove as much of the wastes as possible, or the tip is up against something blocking the flow. Just some things to think about…
I been on pd since February make sure you take a stool softener every day that will help if constipated and that can cause low drain pain I put in heaprin in my one bag every night for some reason my body make a lot of fibrin that can cause it too . On my claria machince I have just learn to bypass it when it get to low drain and let it go to fill .
The problem is a lack of experience/knowledge from your nurse. Notice I didn’t mention the nephrologist. That’s because home programs are generally run first and foremost by the nurse. If your nurse isn’t strong, then your treatment won’t reach its max potential.
This fix is incredibly simple. Review the alarms, when they occur, why they occur then fix the machine settings. Whether it’s “tidal” or changing the advanced settings: it’s simple and easy with the right skills of the nurse.
If you’re nurse can’t fix it? Ask them to reach out to their clinical Baxter or Fresneius rep to help. No one should live with alarms
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Do you have someway to up the angle on way you lay down
Welcome to the Forums, Firered! There are wedge pillows that you may find helpful. Folks who have acid reflux often use these.
I too have experienced the low drainage problem and in talking to my nurse it is common among all patients. Today was my final appointment with the Surgeon that installed the catheter. I ask him why that was so common among users? His response was I don’t know, but I will find out. I will provide you his finding when he makes them available
Zebrobert
Thank you, Zebrobert!
I have been using the machine for 6 months and have the same problem sometimes i have an adjustable bed and found if you have about 30 degree of tilt which is about 2 thick pillows to 3 it took me a long time to find the right height but once you find the right position it stopes alarming.the reason it goes off is how the liquid flows to machine and the float in the tube.I
hope it helps.