Blood leak

[67karat]

A blood leak is a complication of dialysis I have never experienced before. We were discussing this the other day at work, and even my boss didn't know the answer. If there is a blood leak alarm, WHERE on the dialysis machine do you check the dialysate with the test strips? We have Fresenius K machines. Is it from the port on the hansen line where you check conductivity? Do you remove the hansen from the dialzer and check from the dialyzer? The hansen? Which one, the blue or red? Once you have tested positive for blood, what are the actions one should take? What is the policy you follow?

[Chisca, RN]

" If there is a blood leak alarm, WHERE on the dialysis machine do you check the dialysate with the test strip"

Red hansen. Or the drain port for the machine.

"Once you have tested positive for blood, what are the actions one should take?"

If positive DO NOT RINSE BACK. The blood is contaminated and you will be rinsing back contaminated blood. I usually see blood leak alarms when the filter goes from being dry to being wet. If for example you set a machine up for sequential UF (ie no dialysate flow) and as you pull fluid the filter becomes wet the machine thinks there is a blood leak. It's really a change in TMP and the machine thinks the worst scenario which is a blood leak. It's a false alarm.

[idialyze, BSN, RN]

I've been taught to check for a blood leak from the drain line. The machine can be re-setup for that patient to complete his tx, then it has to be bleached. I always soak the Hansons in bleach as well.

Haven't seen a blood leak for a long time, but I was also taught if you drop a dialyzer, it must be thrown away due to the increased risk of a blood leak.

You should have a policy on this, as well.