I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: Home Dialysis => Topic started by: Atooraya on July 23, 2011, 11:07:40 PM
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I follow aseptic practices like the nurse taught men. Are we required to do all this just.in case our fingers come in contact with the uncapped end of the gathered? If so the chances of hitting it are very low. Is the washing and sanitizing an over kill? Or an I over trivializing it?
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I'm not *quite* sure exactly what you're asking, but in my opinion there's no such thing as overkill when it comes to aseptic practices. The more anal you are about it, the less likely you are to get an infection. You DON'T want an infection of any kind.
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I am a newby at this as I only have been doing PD for two weeks.
From what I understand of the process is that the washing and sanitizing and wearing a mask and such things are multi-layered defenses against contamination. So, in a sense, one may say that they are overkill and could eliminate some of them, but in reality, you really want that overkill process in place so you don't get an infection.
From my research, infection is probably the number one cause that people have to stop doing PD. That's a risk that is just not worth taking, in my humble opinion.
In fact, I have even done extra reading about aseptic technique and even taken a short online course on proper aseptic practices.
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Yes it's just in case you touch the uncapped end. It may be overkill but it's not hard to wash your hands so you might as well.
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We haven't started pd yet, but I agree with kporter85db. I would never, ever want to take the chance of being the reason my bf is in pain, infected or has to have the catheter removed.
I'm interested in the online training you took kporter. Could you post a link?
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My nurse informed me that if I accidently touch the uncapped part, even after sanitizing, wearing a mask, and useing Alcavis (the bleach solution), that I need to start over, and put in a new bag and a new cassete (depending on where I touched), I just make sure that I grab further back on the cap. Pereotinitis is supposedly EXTREMELY painful, and I've been through enough with 2 cath. removals due to it being clogged before.
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Here you go Drgirlfriend:
http://www.engenderhealth.org/ip/aseptic/
There are other resources, google "aseptic technique"
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You could probably do the entire setup without washing your hands first and never get an infection, but do you really want to take that risk? If you contaminate any open cap it isn't like you can just say, "oh well, I did wash my hands so everything is good". Nope you have to trash everything and start again. Do germs jump off your hands onto sterile parts, I doubt it. The thought is to remove as many germs as possible on your hands and nearby surfaces to lower the risk of infection. I got lazy one time and didn't wash my hands and I did get an infection, so now I never fail to do exactly what I am suppose to do. When I am tired and don't want to wash for 3min I always think about how much worse peritonitis is and how it shortens my years on PD.
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Peritonitis is a terrible thing, so you must be really on the ball with your cleansing regime. I have to smile because my husband goes on the overnight cycler and every thing is done as it should be. he connects up and 7 hours later after scratching his ba**s and inching his body and you can imagine what else gets scratched , he reaches for the hand rub and disconnects. WHAT ABOUT ALL THOSE GERMS HE HAS NOT WASHED AWAY BECAUSE HE CAN NOT GET TO A SINK. Its like Domestos kills 99% of germs, what about the other 1%. I laugh at this when we go for updates at the unit they have us in about every 3 months to go through the hand washing process and when I mention this the nurses just smile. All I can say to you is: be ultra clean, do the things you are supposed to do, do not cut any corners, them there bugs are out there.
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I do have a priority of holding the caps way to the back, and also masking and being careful that there isn't any air movement at the time of hooking up..... but then from then are all of the other things on the list.... I don't want to get any infection.