New 170 Cartridges are the worst!

[skyedogrocks]

Well, we got our shipment of the new 170 Cartridges last week and already having issues with them.

The very first time Rob set it up for prime, it leaked.  Last night about an hour into a treatment we got Red Alarm 99.  This meant a leak in the cartridge and sure enough there was..  So, I took Rob off, flushed him and re-primed a new cartridge.  About 10 mins later we get Red Alarm 715.  This said there was a blook leak in the cartridge, didn't see one but we had to take him off.  So, he only got 1 hour of treatment.   

I called Nxstage today and complained.  They said they have had a few complaints and are looking into a solution.  I have to send it back to them once I get the return box, but it's such a pain!

Monday was Rob's off day, so it was important to have him dialyze yesterday.  Today we are just going to do a longer session at a slower speed so that his blood gets cleaned better.

I hope this is not the norm for the rest of the cartridges!!!

[Don]

Linda and I are getting a ton of alarms about the first hour then it seems to stop. No leaks, thank god. Take a look at the other posts below on 170 and I think the other is 107 Sometimes cheaper is not better.........
Keep the faith.......
Don

[Adam_W]

There are some things I don't like about the 170s, but so far I've not had any significant problems with them. Oh boy I hope I don't have any. I have one full box of 160s left, and I'm saving all of them to use as spares if one of my 170s dies.

Adam

[jbeany]

Oh, I don't even know what one I'm using yet!  Guess I should look and see tomorrow. ..

[Adam_W]

Oh, I don't even know what one I'm using yet!  Guess I should look and see tomorrow. ..

Do you have the little plastic "peanut" that connects the arterial and venous lines together (technically it's called a recirc piece)? If you don't, then you most likely have the 170s. The lack of that piece is the thing I hate the most about the 170s. It's nice to be able to connect the lines together, and draw my saline to flush my needle lines from the ports on the priming spike and just leave the syringes there till I'm ready for them. Now I have to draw my saline from the needle port on the bag itself, which is a little more awkward, plus I use two additional 18G syringe needles. Fortunately I'll be able to order some recirc pieces from Baxter when I make my next supply order in a few days.

Adam

[skyedogrocks]

His treatment was perfect last night, thank God!  I still am wary now that it will spring a leak again. 

Another thing we have found is the Pod doesn't fill all the time with blood.  I have to stop treatment and re-set the pod line.  Such a pain!

Do you have the little plastic "peanut" that connects the arterial and venous lines together (technically it's called a recirc piece)?

Adam - I don't remember that piece with the old cartridges.

[jbeany]

Oh, I don't even know what one I'm using yet!  Guess I should look and see tomorrow. ..

Do you have the little plastic "peanut" that connects the arterial and venous lines together (technically it's called a recirc piece)? If you don't, then you most likely have the 170s. The lack of that piece is the thing I hate the most about the 170s. It's nice to be able to connect the lines together, and draw my saline to flush my needle lines from the ports on the priming spike and just leave the syringes there till I'm ready for them. Now I have to draw my saline from the needle port on the bag itself, which is a little more awkward, plus I use two additional 18G syringe needles. Fortunately I'll be able to order some recirc pieces from Baxter when I make my next supply order in a few days.

Adam

Nope, I don't have 170's - I'm using the Express Cartridge set.  The whole thing comes in one chunk, already attached to all the lines.

[skyedogrocks]

We had another leak on Sunday, thankfully I saw it during Prime and was able to change it right away.  I really dislike these new cartridges!   

We are also having issues with our Pod filling when we start the machine for treatment.  I constantly have to stop the machine and reset the pod.  Rob's nurse told him not to connect the pod until we have connected him to the machine and just about to start.  This worked for us last night, hopefully it continues to work.

I just want the old cartridges back!  I don't notice any difference with the air!

[jbeany]

Well, maybe I don't know what I'm talking about - the express cartridges are labeled 170.  Well, I've never used any other ones, so I guess I can't miss anything!

We've changed the order of hooking up that the book gives - spike the saline before hooking up the access pod.  That seems to cut down on the 24 alarms from the pod.

[silverhead]

Have to chime in on the thread, yesterday was our first day at home with the machine, all our training at the center was with the 160's, all the cartridges delivered to the house are 170's, so what happens? after and hour and a half comes the big leak from the cycler, was not spotted until enough had leaked out to soak up 2 medium bath towels (no alarm from cycler until we were in a quick rinse back mode to get her all the blood back as soon as we could) Sharon had just completed her .2 take-off, so we decided to call it a day instead of the hassle of re-priming and finishing about an extra hour of filtration, she had gone through enough stress already. called NxStage and they will send a return box for the cartridge, and of course are well aware of the problem and I am sure they are working on it, but sure makes it tough to set up and hope the next one works.
Some of the fluid dripped off the back of the PureFlow top and landed on the black "small shelf" behind the controller for the PureFlow, mopped it up, but upon closer inspection later I could see that it had crept under the controller unit, I unscrewed it from the front and slid it forward a couple of inches and slid a screwdriver under the back of it to prop it up slightly and let it dry out,  It looks like the fluid could easily go down into the opening to the tank and cause a leak alarm from there, I have taken some of blue masking tape and a section of 1/8" tubing and created a "dam" around the back portion of the cover so that any future leaks will go down the sides instead of the back. Sure hope they improve the cartridges soon.........
Tom

[Don]

Tom

We had the same thing happen long before the 170's. I had the leak in the back as well as fluid from around the connectors in the front. And as you said - we did get a Tub Alarm - that was my first clue. I pulled the controller out - tightened up the connectors and checked all the plastic hoses in the controller. They sent me another box. No problems since. I am getting a ton of 24 alarms with these new carts. I find by tugging on the lines (arterial) it clears them.  I can't imagine all these leaks. What is the Lot # everyone is using - mine currently is 7057706.

Don

[cev]

after 4 nights of high arterial pressures and now a 90 red alarm, a leak during balancing after 2.5 hr run.  I talked to NxStage tech support, they told me they had found the problem and fix it for the leak during balancing and were sending out new cartridges.  I asked about the high pressures, she indicated it must be the access, but since it was a new box of cartridges and I had never had this problem before it was a little suspicious.   And they are bringing back the little filter that attached to the yellow line apparently it caught microbubbles during prime AND they are also bringing back Mr. Peanut.  Maybe there is Hope for the 170 cartridge after all.