Evaluation Background: Venous Needle Dislodgement Monitors for Hemodialysis

Here's background for our venous needle dislodgement monitor Evaluation, outlining the key considerations for making wise purchasing decisions. Learn how the technology is used, which specs are important, and which factors we test for. Also review our latest product ratings.

Potentially life-threatening hazards can occur during hemodialysis, including the venous needle becoming dislodged at the vascular access point or the central venous catheter becoming separated from the bloodline used for treatment. Either event can very quickly lead to a massive loss of blood, and thus severe injury or death. Often, such events cannot be detected by a hemodialysis machine's venous pressure monitor—and so will not produce an alarm.

Venous needle dislodgement monitors are used to monitor for potential blood loss from the hemodialysis access site or from the bloodline-catheter connection in patients undergoing hemodialysis treatment.

Major device components include:

1. Alarm unit—Houses the circuitry for blood detection and alarm generation. This unit has an internal rechargeable battery and is mounted to an IV pole.

2. Sensor patch—A noninvasive single-use patch consisting of an optic fiber and an absorbent sponge-like material that soaks up blood in case of a leak. There are two...