Make sure you have this number on speed dial.
Some would say that contamination during peritoneal dialysis is inevitable. Especially the longer you’ve been on it. Even the most cautious, germaphobic, OCD person will contaminate their catheter line while performing peritoneal dialysis (PD) at home at some point.
Avoid Dialysis Contamination
You never want to perform dialysis with a contaminated line because infections on dialysis can result in catheter loss, discontinuation of peritoneal dialysis, and possibly even death.
If you’ve accidentally contaminated your treatment by brushing your catheter line against your clothing, you may be unsure if what you did was a big deal.
If you think you’ve contaminated your line don’t panic. Call your peritoneal dialysis nurse or the on-call nurse if it’s after hours (put them on speed dial if you haven’t already) and wait to hear back from them before proceeding unless otherwise instructed.
Never make decisions about starting or stopping peritoneal dialysis treatments without the counsel of a medical profession. If you have questions after hours, the on-call nurse should get back to you within a timely manner so that you never have to forgo any treatments by waiting to hear back. You should only forgo treatments when your nurse has advised you to do so.
Since peritoneal dialysis gives you the most freedom to live a somewhat normal life, you’ll want to take every precaution and safety measure to avoid contaminating catheter lines and getting infections.
This page contains general peritoneal dialysis information. Medical knowledge and practice can change rapidly. Therefore, this page should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice.
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