Healing at home in the comfort of your own surroundings and
on your timeframe can be important to any patient. Being able to drain your
recurrent pleural effusions or malignant ascites in your house can help you
avoid trips to the hospital or doctor’s office. Any drainage requires
appropriate equipment and sterile technique to minimize infection. Using the
right system can make it simple for patients and caregivers alike. The Denver
Pleurx drainage kit makes this procedure simple and easy for home use.
What Are Pleural Effusions?
When excess fluid builds up around the lungs this is called a pleural
effusion. Pleura are a thin membrane that covers your lungs as well as the
inside of your chest cavity and the effusion is when liquid accumulates between
these two layers. In normal conditions there is only a small amount of fluid
that allows the lungs to move during normal breathing.
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Causes of this type of
fluid buildup can range from leakage from other organs to cancer to infections
such as pneumonia or tuberculosis. Sometimes you may not experience any
symptoms if the effusion is small, but if they get larger you may feel chest
pains (especially during inhalation) or shortness of breath. When fluid gets
into the peritoneal cavity, this is known as an ascites. As cancer.net points
out, when this is caused by cancer it is called a malignant ascites. Liver or
kidney disease can also be a cause as well as blood clots and heart disease.
How Does It Work?
Understanding
the anatomy of how something works can be important in making sure you are
using it properly. The Denver Pleurx drainage kit is specifically designed to
make home drainage easy. Included
in your drainage kit is a folded blue package that contains the sterile items
you will need to train your fluid in a sanitary manner. Included is a pair of
sterile gloves, gauze, and alcohol wipes. Since these items are sterile, you
should take care not to touch them unnecessarily. Also included is an emergency
clamp that should only be used to close the catheter if it has been cut or
damaged. This system includes an indwelling catheter which drains fluid quickly
into a vacuum bottle so it can be placed just about anywhere for convenience.
The drainage line uses a safety valve that is opened on the access tip and once
the clamp is released, fluid is withdrawn from the pleural cavity into the
bottle. This draining is typically requires 3-5 minutes to achieve. Your doctor
will determine whether or not you should do this draining every one or two
days. During your drainage program, fluid that is drained from your pleural
cavity may diminish or stop altogether. If this happens you should gently
squeeze the catheter and drainage line. If this does not begin any drainage you
can try switching to another bottle. If this second bottle does not achieve
drainage, contact your doctor since this may be an indication that the catheter
possibly can be withdrawn. Care should be taken to keep the catheter area clean
since an infected catheter can produce symptoms such as pain, redness,
swelling, fever or warmth to touch, or even fluid from around the catheter
site. If your catheter should pull out the area should be covered immediately
with sterile gauze and medical attention should be sought immediately.
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| Denver Pleurx Darinage Kit |
Being able to handle any of your medical needs at home is
always more comforting and convenient no matter what the treatment. You can
avoid multiple trips to the doctor or hospital by using the Denver Pleurxdrainage kit in the comfort of your own home. Your doctor or nurse can easily
train you in how to use the device at home and be able to identify any negative
side effects that may develop during drainage therapy.
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