Re: CRRT question Originally Posted by Summitk2
I think Dinith is right-on with the math and explanation. These volumes aren't REALLY going into the pt or coming out of them. Make sure your net is correct.
I think most institutions should require all volumes on CRRT to be documented (dialysate, replacement, effluent). These are usually high volumes, and will show mathematical errors very easily, thank God! !
Why would you document those fluid volumes on an hourly basis? To me that just seems like non-functional information clutter.
In all the years that I've done CRRT, always in teaching hospitals, I've never had to document the volume totals of dialysate, replacement, or effluent. Yes, the hourly rates of dialysate and replacement fluids are MD orders and plugged into the PRISMA touch screen but we do not "document" them on an hourly basis. They are usually the same for the entire course of treatment and are not factored into the equations for hourly operation. As you stated, the dialysate and replacement fluids are not patient intake and the effluent is not considered patient output.
If they are being documented as such I shudder to think what the daily I&O totals would be.

We do document filter, access, return and effluent pressures, and TMP. Also Prismatherm temp
What "math errors" would show up by documenting dialysate, replacement and efflluent volumes? I'm confused.
Nursing News