[darinda]

I am not a dialysis nurse but would like some information regarding CVVHD and CCU's. Our CCU currently has an outside dialysis company performing our dialysis. We are looking into the purchase of our own machine so that we can perform our own CVVHD. The company we have gotten info from has agreed to all inservicing, nursing education, and support etc. but we are told that there are no other hospitals that perform their own CVVHD, that it is all done by an outside agency. Does anyone know of any other hospital that performs it's own CVVHD? Thanks for your time, Darinda RN

[zambezi]

Hello...there are other threads on this very subject in either the SICU or CCU forums...

But to answer your question, we run our own, but the dialysis RNs set up and prime the machine..we have to know how to troubleshoot and give the blood back but if it clots off, the dialysis RNs come to reinitiate treatment...I know from previous postings that other places have the unit RNs do the whole deal...

[Ruby Vee]

Originally Posted by darinda

I am not a dialysis nurse but would like some information regarding CVVHD and CCU's. Our CCU currently has an outside dialysis company performing our dialysis. We are looking into the purchase of our own machine so that we can perform our own CVVHD. The company we have gotten info from has agreed to all inservicing, nursing education, and support etc. but we are told that there are no other hospitals that perform their own CVVHD, that it is all done by an outside agency. Does anyone know of any other hospital that performs it's own CVVHD? Thanks for your time, Darinda RN

I worked for years in an ICU where we did our own dialysis. Some of the nurses were trained in dialysis; most weren't. So when there were dialysis patients, the dialysis nurses took care of the patient and did the dialysis. It worked pretty well. It was a lot of fun to do dialysis! The place where I am now, we do our own CVVHD and everyone is trained in it. Dialysis nurses from an outside agency come in and set up the machine and access the patient, but then the ICU nurses continue to monitor the machine, the patient, change the bags, etc. CVVHD isn't difficult -- it's generally tolerated better than regular HD.

[suetje]

Originally Posted by darinda

I am not a dialysis nurse but would like some information regarding CVVHD and CCU's. Our CCU currently has an outside dialysis company performing our dialysis. We are looking into the purchase of our own machine so that we can perform our own CVVHD. The company we have gotten info from has agreed to all inservicing, nursing education, and support etc. but we are told that there are no other hospitals that perform their own CVVHD, that it is all done by an outside agency. Does anyone know of any other hospital that performs it's own CVVHD? Thanks for your time, Darinda RN

You are smart to take the entire responsibility on yourselves. Why? Doing everything yourselves makes you the most knowledgeable about the machine , troubleshooting and the therapy. Doing it all makes you the expert. There are a good number of ICU's who do all of it, and there are others who have an outside company set up the machine and act as a resource, and even others who have an in-house dialysis staff that sets up the machines for the ICU.

[darinda]

Thank you for taking the time to respond. If I have any other questions I will certainly be back! Sincerely, Darinda

Originally Posted by suetje

You are smart to take the entire responsibility on yourselves. Why? Doing everything yourselves makes you the most knowledgeable about the machine , troubleshooting and the therapy. Doing it all makes you the expert. There are a good number of ICU's who do all of it, and there are others who have an outside company set up the machine and act as a resource, and even others who have an in-house dialysis staff that sets up the machines for the ICU.