cleaning the dialysis machine

[BRANDY]

How long does it take to clean  a machine after dialysis ,  I hear you are exhausted( Some of you) after dialysis    how do you have the energy to clean machine.?I am thinking home hemo might be better than in clinic.   Maybe not  as stressful   .    any input on this subject   

[silverhead]

We use the NxStage system and clean up is only a minute or two, it's just a matter of wiping down the cycler with a sterile wipe or solution, everything that has blood or dialysate (filter, tubing, etc.) is contained on a cartridge that  is thrown away after every session, so none of the "cleaning" like you see with in center machines. Once I have removed her needles and wrapped the sites, I remove the cartridge, roll it up and put into the bag it arrived in and toss into the garbage can, she takes her temp and gets her post weight and BP, I wipe down the machine and we both finish at the same time.......
Tom

[Inara]

Tell us more!

Are you expected to wipe down the machine?  Or are we talking full-on "clean"...acid clean and heat disinfect cycle?  Or Bleach cycle? 

[willowtreewren]

Wiping down the NxStage machine is a piece of cake. All the lines are one-use, so there is no flushing. If you are using bags, the drain line should be flushed with bleach solution. Otherwise, wipe down the exterior including the control pad and switches. I also wipe the control pad of the BP monitor since we touch that several times during treatment.

Our routine is similar to Silverhead's. I remove the needles and while my husband is holding the sites for them to clot, I clean up, even to putting new bags in the trash can. There are times that I am finished before his sites are ready, but usually we are both ready about the same time.

Not everyone is wiped out after dialysis. He can get up from his chair and go to work. It seems that people's experiences are very different. There is no way to predict beforehand how you are going to react.

Best wishes,
Aleta

[petey]

Our machine clean-up is similar to the others here.  After I pull Marvin's needles and he's holding his sites, I'm cleaning the machine.  Open the door, pull out the used cartridge (with lines and left-over bag of saline), throw this away, shut door, and wipe down outside of machine and PureFlow "table" top with a Clorox wipe or two.  Done.  Takes me 2-3 minutes.  Then, I double bag the trash (including the used cartridge and all), but it's Marvin's job to take out the trash when he's done.  Then, I straighten up the paperwork and put up any supplies we took out and didn't use and just generally straighten up his "clinic."  By this time (10 mins or so), Marvin's sites are fine and he gets up, takes his standing bp, weighs, and faxes his "flow sheet" to the clinic.  Done.  Then, Marvin goes to coach his youth baseball team, or goes to cut the grass, or goes to finish his "honey do" chores for the day, or goes somewhere to do something...    Piece of cake.

[willowtreewren]

and faxes his "flow sheet" to the clinic

Hi, Petey. I'm always surprised by the different protocols used by different clinics. We take our flow sheets in to the clinic when we have our monthly visit. Those from the end of the month we either fax, FedEx (they provide the mailer) or drop off by the 2nd of the new month.

One of the members of the NxStage Users forum provided an electronic version of the flowsheet. I am going to ask if I might use that and simply e-mail it in. 

Aleta

[petey]

willowtree -- If you get a copy of that electronic flow sheet, please share with me!  That way, Marvin could take his readings and enter them in his laptop (instead of playing on Facebook the whole time!!  ).  Really, though, I'd like a copy; I think that would make our process even easier.

[silverhead]

Yes, I would like to see that spreadsheet myself.......

[willowtreewren]

PM your email address to me and I'll send it. No problem.

Aleta

[petey]

Thanks for the electronic flow sheet, Aleta!  It looks like it will work for us, too.

[willowtreewren]

Glad to help, Petey. 

[del]

We use a fresenius machine for home hemo.  Not much to the clean up. You just have to put vinegar through the machine. All you do is hook the dialysate lines to the wands in the vinegar bottle and push a button on the machine. the acid clean takes about 10 minutes.  When finished acid clean you have to do a heat disinfect.  Just reattach the dialysate lines and push a button on the machine.  This takes about 25 -30 minutes but the machine does it all!! You have to take all the lines off the machine. Once a week you have to disinfect the machine with bleach. don't have to wash the machine after each treatment because you are the only one using the machine. we have been told to wash the outside of the machine with bleach once a week.  By the time I am showered and ready for work the machine is all finished.  You can strip the lines off the machine when it is in vinegar or heat disinfect.

[dwcrawford]

I am so  glad some people talked me out of doing dialysis at home.  What if my dialysis machine was "just as clean" as my microwave?

[willowtreewren]

What if my dialysis machine was "just as clean" as my microwave?

I take it you would be in big trouble in that case!