Well, I’ve had two days of training so far, and very impressed am I! Impressed how simple and straightforward the machine is to use, impressed with the trainer from NxStage in the States, and impressed I can get excellent flows, and dialysis treatment time looks to be closer to 3 hours 10 minutes per day rather than 3 hours 40 I was happy to accept. Of course the outcomes of the blood results will be the decision maker here, and I should have the first set of results tomorrow. For example, though, I can process 95 litres of blood in 3 hours 10, whereas for four hours on a Fresenius I would manage the same or marginally more – I have been generally aiming for 100 litres in the past on the 4008H. I can achieve a good pump speed of 490/500 which is a helping factor here. Also, interesting to discuss the need to be ‘wet’ when going on as dialysing dry is less effective – bring on those cups of tea!!
I am training alongside one of the experienced nurses in Peterborough and I believe she is also quite impressed with the machine. The bigger issue for Peterborough is that she will have gained this new expertise but there are no new patients ‘in the wings’ that she can train next, so it will be difficult for her to retain all this great new knowledge. It would be great for her to have more to train up next. In the NHS areas where they are taking more NxStage machines then their trainers will keep up to speed as they will have a ‘regular supply’ of new patients to keep developing. Pity really, I could be slightly biased here, but I have a strong belief that actually this machine could solve home hemo issues for a good number of people, and development of a concerted programme to identify those that this would suit, would be invaluable. I am am hoping that a positive experience on this machine will promote that thinking in Leicester/Peterborough.
In the meantime, tomorrow I get full hands on for the first time and I am looking forward to that, right through from starting up, lining, priming etc, to the wrap at the end. I had a go at making a batch of dialysate this afternoon and that was straightforward.
The best part – The machine is being installed at home this Friday and I will do my first home hemo session in over 4 years on Monday – finally! Now, for me, that is definitely a great result!
More tomorrow – oh, and if you have the answer on how to squeeze me, a senior nurse, a Kimal account manager, a NxStage trainer, a technician and a new NxStage machine in my office in a spare floor area of about 16sq ft, then please send your answers on a postcard to…….. (may consult Dr Who for some space/time guidance….)
(Interestingly, Portsmouth, where I trained to self care some 20 years ago, is a leader on NxStage and has 9 machines in use and more on the way! Play up Pompey!)
