Change Rates During Treatment, Get Alarms?

[PrimeTimer]

Getting a Red Alarm 10 (air alarm) with only 20 minutes left of treatment to do really sucks. Anyone get a RA 10 after making rate adjustments (dialysate/UF rates) during treatment? Could it be that the cycler does not like it when you make adjustments to the rates during treatment? I'm not beating myself up over it but I've been going over and over it in my mind and the only thing I can think of, is that shortly before getting the alarm I had adjusted his rates because it appeared as tho the dialysate was going to run out before meeting the UF goal. I adjusted the rates twice and maybe the cycler didn't like that or else it created air in the lines. Really bothers me because I couldn't recover from the alarm and I didn't want to risk pushing air or clotted blood into him so didn't attempt a manual rinseback. Dang, and his labs have been looking so good... 

[cassandra]

I got a 10 red when I changed something, near the end, but I don't remember what I changed, lost my blood in machine too. So When I want to change something near the end, I just get off (press stop till 000, washback etc)

[obsidianom]

I would call Nxstage tech support on this. They can give you the reasons thtis may occur. I find most of them quite helpful.

[PrimeTimer]

Just spoke to NxStage about making changes to rates during treatment and Red Alarm 10. Changing the UF and Dialysate rates during treatment should not set off RA10 but a change to the Blood Flow Rate might, as it could cause micro-bubbles to form in the Access Pressure Pod. The Red Alarm 10 involves possible problems that begin on the Arterial Access side, perhaps the arterial needle moved or became dislodged or the line got kinked due to the patient moving their arm, etc...in other words, some sort of change in movement to the arterial blood flow, which of course, ends up affecting the Venous side of things. The night I had a RA10, I remember making changes to the UF and Dialysate rates and altho not immediately, several minutes later the RA10 occurred. Altho I don't remember, it is possible that I had also changed my husband's Blood Flow Rate and then changed it back to what it was thus, upsetting the proverbial apple cart and affecting the Access Pressure Pod. I have had to change his Blood Flow Rate during treatment before but perhaps this last time, I went back and forth with it and too rapidly, creating little micro-bubbles to build up in the Access Pod and setting off the RA10.

[obsidianom]

Just spoke to NxStage about making changes to rates during treatment and Red Alarm 10. Changing the UF and Dialysate rates during treatment should not set off RA10 but a change to the Blood Flow Rate might, as it could cause micro-bubbles to form in the Access Pressure Pod. The Red Alarm 10 involves possible problems that begin on the Arterial Access side, perhaps the arterial needle moved or became dislodged or the line got kinked due to the patient moving their arm, etc...in other words, some sort of change in movement to the arterial blood flow, which of course, ends up affecting the Venous side of things. The night I had a RA10, I remember making changes to the UF and Dialysate rates and altho not immediately, several minutes later the RA10 occurred. Altho I don't remember, it is possible that I had also changed my husband's Blood Flow Rate and then changed it back to what it was thus, upsetting the proverbial apple cart and affecting the Access Pressure Pod. I have had to change his Blood Flow Rate during treatment before but perhaps this last time, I went back and forth with it and too rapidly, creating little micro-bubbles to build up in the Access Pod and setting off the RA10.

That makes sense. I generally never change the blood rate after we set it initally. I just get it up to 340 and leave it there.