How long can long-term dialysis tubes be used?

Dialysis is a very commonly used method for treating diseases. It is divided into many types, including membrane dialysis, hemodialysis, skin dialysis, etc. Dialysis tubes are needed during the dialysis process. This tube is long-term and can be used repeatedly. It can generally be used for more than three years to five years. However, it must be properly protected during use, and attention must be paid to the method of use. Only in this way can the service life of the dialysis tube be extended. Follow the editor to learn more about it.

Long-term catheters can generally be used for two to three years, and some can even be used for five or six years. However, its long-term nature also brings certain disadvantages. The most common complications are urinary tract infection and inflammation or obstruction of the tract. Currently, dialysis includes hemodialysis membrane dialysis. If the hemodialysis catheter is not well maintained, peritoneal dialysis can also be chosen.

There are three main complications of peritoneal dialysis catheterization:

(1) Leakage around the peritoneal dialysis tube

It usually occurs after catheter placement surgery and presents as a wet exit dressing. The diagnosis can be confirmed by injecting contrast medium into the abdominal cavity and doing a CT scan. The treatment should be to drain the peritoneal dialysis fluid, empty the abdominal cavity, and stop dialysis for at least 24-48 hours. The longer the emptying time, the greater the chance of the leakage healing. If ineffective, the catheter should be removed and re-implanted at other locations. It must be noted that ligation at the exit site of the leak is not helpful for treatment and may instead allow the leak to enter the surrounding subcutaneous tissue.

(2) Poor outflow of dialysate

When the amount of dialysate released is significantly lower than the amount of dialysate input and there is no peritubular leakage, poor drainage should be considered. Common causes include twisted peritoneal dialysis tube, which blocks the inflow and outflow of peritoneal dialysis fluid. In this case, the peritoneal dialysis tube needs to be replaced; weakened intestinal motility is also a common cause of poor outflow of peritoneal dialysis fluid in many patients. At this time, laxatives or saline enema should be used to promote the recovery of intestinal motility, which can solve 50% of the poor outflow; fibrin clot blockage, observe whether there are fibrin clots in the peritoneal dialysis fluid, if so, add 200-500U/L of heparin to the peritoneal dialysis fluid to prevent fiber blocking the pipeline. If heparin is ineffective, thrombolytic agents such as urokinase or streptokinase can be tried; the greater omentum or other organs wrap the dialysis tube. At this time, the peritoneal dialysis tube should be repositioned under X-ray, laparoscopy or surgery; if combined, peritonitis should be actively treated.

(3) Skin exit or tunnel About 1/4 of peritonitis episodes are related to exit or tunnel infection. The incidence of exit-side infection is one episode every 24-48 patient months. It is mainly caused by Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative bacteria. Treatment requires local debridement, dressing change and anti-inflammatory treatment. If the exit-side infection does not improve after 4 weeks of treatment, the tube is generally removed.