puddletown

Thanks for the info. Just wondering really about manufacturers recommended flow rates thro their needles as I understand that Gambro recommend up to 250 ml min in 17g needles, up to 350 ml min in 15g needles and for flows above that 14g needles are recommended. We are getting info from Gambro but some nurses feels go for as much as you can get. I know the big picture needs to be assessed (by nurses not doctors on our unit) but we understand there is evidence somewhere that shows trauma to red blood cells if the speed is too high for the needle size. This is what we're are trying to track down. However, really interesting to hear how other units do things, we generally have extremely poor access to work with and would never get above 450 flows! Mostly we run around the 280-350 ml min

Hi Does anyone have any information about recommended blood flow rates through fistula needles?