Post by Susan on Mar 5, 2024 3:01:17 GMT
So let me clarify that I am not a machine tech or biomed, I am I dialysis nurse. I am a traveling nurse for my company. A clinic I cover recently switched from old Phoenix machines to the new fresenius machines. Which I have experience with both older and newer fresenius machines. The older ones I used to work with at my other company, we often had issues with the air detectors. I think the sensors wearing out, being cleaned with bleach, ect, they were more sensitive to the residue the bleach leftover. We’d often clean them with an alcohol wipe or hand sanitizer to get the air detector alarm to go off so we could get the machine to test. Now apparently someone had told this clinic the trick with the alcohol wipes or hand sanitizer when this alarm would not go off. I’m not sure if someone from this clinic had tried to do this while a patient was on the machine or what but this email was sent out…
“Hello all,
It was brought to my attention that we have been putting hand sanitizer on the air detector when we have trouble and what a horrible mistake this could be– we ALL have been doing this since we got the machines bc it happens so frequently. I AM NOT BLAMING ANYONE BUT I do think it would be in someone’s best interest to tell the following ppl about the real risks that can come with it, and furthermore, they stop spreading bad info.
We first heard it from Aleia and Karana. Someone else said the heard it from (my name) as well.
We are not trying to get anyone in trouble as this is what they have done to navigate the situation . I feel like each clinic should be told as a group to ensure that this is stopped before we run into a huge problem.
Basically Don and Patrick came to me today and said that the hand sanitizer makes the machine “ believe that there is water in the chamber” when there might not actually be. Therefore, we could give someone a bunch of air and possibly kill them. If the lines were investigated and found this to be true, we could get charged for murder in which NONE of us deserve that.. I know that we all have the pts in mind and want to do right by them… this would never be anyone’s agenda and “ learning a bad trick” is all it could take.
So I’m not asking you to single these people out but just make sure that EVERYONE in your clinic’s know the real risks of doing that.
I just had a group huddle and had Don tell everyone here. The only person who was not told was Chris as he is off but I have Donna on it to tell him as soon as he returns.”
Now that was sent to basically all of my managers and a whole bunch of people I work with, making me look incompetent. I wouldn’t tell someone to do this while connected to a patient. Nor do I even recall telling that trick to anyone at that clinic but it’s possible. But what is being said is not what I ever suggested. Regardless, my question is how does the alcohol work, is it true that it would stop the air detector from detecting air because it’s tricking the sensor into believing it’s full? I was always told I was just cleaning residue off the sensor so it reads correctly.
Thanks for your insight.
“Hello all,
It was brought to my attention that we have been putting hand sanitizer on the air detector when we have trouble and what a horrible mistake this could be– we ALL have been doing this since we got the machines bc it happens so frequently. I AM NOT BLAMING ANYONE BUT I do think it would be in someone’s best interest to tell the following ppl about the real risks that can come with it, and furthermore, they stop spreading bad info.
We first heard it from Aleia and Karana. Someone else said the heard it from (my name) as well.
We are not trying to get anyone in trouble as this is what they have done to navigate the situation . I feel like each clinic should be told as a group to ensure that this is stopped before we run into a huge problem.
Basically Don and Patrick came to me today and said that the hand sanitizer makes the machine “ believe that there is water in the chamber” when there might not actually be. Therefore, we could give someone a bunch of air and possibly kill them. If the lines were investigated and found this to be true, we could get charged for murder in which NONE of us deserve that.. I know that we all have the pts in mind and want to do right by them… this would never be anyone’s agenda and “ learning a bad trick” is all it could take.
So I’m not asking you to single these people out but just make sure that EVERYONE in your clinic’s know the real risks of doing that.
I just had a group huddle and had Don tell everyone here. The only person who was not told was Chris as he is off but I have Donna on it to tell him as soon as he returns.”
Now that was sent to basically all of my managers and a whole bunch of people I work with, making me look incompetent. I wouldn’t tell someone to do this while connected to a patient. Nor do I even recall telling that trick to anyone at that clinic but it’s possible. But what is being said is not what I ever suggested. Regardless, my question is how does the alcohol work, is it true that it would stop the air detector from detecting air because it’s tricking the sensor into believing it’s full? I was always told I was just cleaning residue off the sensor so it reads correctly.
Thanks for your insight.
