When you are first dialyzed at a freestanding unit, you are asked to fill out all sorts of forms that don't really matter at the time, at least you think that as you're feeling miserable and sick.
One of those forms that you sign gives the unit the permission to reuse your dialyzer. This is a common practice, and is so far considered safe by the government. Your permission is required and you can refuse.
Reusing dialyzers is done for two reasons. One reason is to prevent what is called "first use dialyzer syndrome", which happens very rarely to patients.
When in does occur, it may bring on unpleasant symptoms such as chills, chest pain, nausea or backache. These may occur when the blood first comes in contact with the dialyzer membranes that filter out the toxins. This might have happened more frequently during the earlier times of dialysis before they started rinsing out new dialyzers with saline.
The second and by far the most overt reason for dialyzer reuse is to save money. The cost of treating dialysis is enormous. Units can reuses a patients dialyzer anywhere from 5-50 times or more. Often times these dialyzers are labeled for single use only.
After each dialysis treatment, a dialyzer does have to past several tests in order to be considered safe and efficient to use again. Some of these tests include a blood volume abilty, and pressure abilty. Dialyzers for reuse are stronger than the disposable ones, as they would have to be to put up with multiple disinfecting sessions.
Most of the research done with reuse of dialyzers saying that is safe or that it does not change the efficiency of the dialyzers by that much, only reused the dialyzers up to 15 times.
Many dialysis units use them far more than that.
My own unit reuses my dialyzer 30 times as long as it passes the aforementioned tests.
The two most common sterilants used for reuse are Renalin® and formulin. Renalin® is a combination of acids, paracetic and acetic, and hydrogen peroxide. Formulin is a formaldehyde mixture.
These chemicals are dangerous for the technicians who clean the dialyzers for reuse. Protective clothing and ventilation are required.
Go To Page: 1 2
