One of my wife’s catheter clamps broke tonight when putting her on. In the past replacing a clamp has required a repair kit which necessitates cutting off the Luerlock and requiring a hospital admission for the task. I vaguely remember someone reporting on a replacement clamp that does not require removing the Luerlock, but can just be slipped on. I tried a “Search” but could not find the answer.
Can anyone help me ?
Mel
Mel I have no experience with catheters but a Googler I am … is this the one you were remembering?
http://forums.homedialysis.org/showpost.php?p=1514&postcount=1
from this thread:
http://forums.homedialysis.org/showthread.php?t=178
Bill, Thanks for the reference. I’ve made a temporary clamp by slitting the base of an old saline clamp longitudinally which I can then separate enough to get the catheter lumen in – rather than enlarge the holes on a big clamp to slip over the luer connector as my big clamps don’t appear to have enough material to permit safely enlarging the hole.
I wish there was an approved permanent clamp for this task. The available repair kit requires cutting off and replacing the luers which, in turn, requires a hospital admission (and a few thousand dollars).
I appreciate your help.
Mel
Mel, given the infection risk of a catheter, I would think a hospital visit would be advised for a broken clamp–or at least a call to your care team. This doesn’t seem like a safe “do-it-yourself” project to me.
Mel;
We have had this problem also…
Yes; You need to have the tips of the catheter cut off to have a clip replaced… According to my partner’s cardiac Dr. you can do this twice before having to Pull it out and replaced… Also if you are going to have it done. Have them put TPA in the catheter…You extract it when you hook her up (It’s like extracting the Heparin from the line before you hook her up to the machine). The first time we had the tips replaced it ended up being clotted and couldn’t use it… Had to go down to emergency and have them load it up with TPA. When they replaced the tip there is a possibility that the inner walls of the catheter could have clots that break loose and cloggs the catheter…
I tried to make a clip out of the clamps that comes with the tubing set but by cutting into the clamp so it could fit over the end cap they would not clamp properly. But I finally found the way to get a clamp on the line…
Here’s what we have been using for about a year already… I took the big white clips from the Fresenius tubing set… the end cap will fit thru the bigger hole… You might have to make the holes in the clip bigger … Take the white clamp and practice with a end cap on a tubing and try pushing it thru the hole in the clamp… It clamps the catheter line but just barely… It sure beats having to go to the Hospital and have the tips replaced or having the catheter replaced…
Hope this helps…
HemoHelper
HemoHelper