Can someone tell me what will happen to the patient if the blood in the arterial chamber is not kept at the recomended level (either allowed to sink too low or allowed to raise to high)?

If you are monitorring your arterial pressure, and the chamber is not adequately filled you could run the risk of having an inaccurate reading.

If your chamber becomes too full, you run the risk of allowing the transducer to become soiled and allowing for potential internal contamination of the machine.

Carol

If the art. chamber is not watched and kept at the recommend level, it will sink introducing air thus causing clotting in your art. chamber, and possibly the venous chamber as well, and can even clot off your lines and dialyzer totally.

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Originally posted by Terry:

Can someone tell me what will happen to the patient if the blood in the arterial chamber is not kept at the recomended level (either allowed to sink too low or allowed to raise to high)?

I don't know what kind of machines you are running but generally the machine will moitior the pressure in the chamber,also your TMP could be affected ,and also the worst case scenario would be for air to get into the system,a "too full" drip bulb would again afect yout TMP ,which would get the transducer wet ,which AGAIN could give you inaccurate readingd as well as possibly contaminate the inside of your machine .

We use Althines. When I look around the room all the patients' art. chambers are sunk down to the bottom.