Thursday, February 25, 2010

Arterial & Venous Pressure Monitoring..(Part 1)

Arterial and Venous Pressure monitoring….

When we look at a Haemodialysis (HD) machine, we can see 2 ports where the pressure monitoring lines of the bloodline sets via transducer protectors are attached to. One is for monitoring the arterial pressure and the other for monitoring venous pressure within the extra-corporeal blood circuit.

The purpose of having the device to monitor the pressure within the bloodlines is to ensure the smooth flow of the extra-corporeal blood by detecting any pressure built-up within the circuit. Preemptive measures can be taken long before a problem can arise by just monitoring the pressure trend.

Many Haemodialysis Centres (HDCs) has found it fit to do away either with the arterial or both the arterial and venous pressure monitoring. Some staff and patients’ themselves find the alarm triggered by the arterial and venous pressure monitoring very annoying. The slightest movement of the patient’s limb to which the AVF needles are placed can trigger the alarm.

However without them, we would not be forewarned of any impending problem arising from the pressure built-up. These safety measures are in place for a very specific purpose, patient’s safety therefore they should not be arbitrarily omitted.

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