Amia PD Machine Issues

[rubylark]

Hi!

My mom is using Amia machine and has been having problems with it not completely draining during the sessions. And when it goes to fills her up in subsequent sessions, she gets overfilled. She basically stays awake all night to manage this, which is not ideal.

issues with the machine not draining completely seems to have started with the last software update, this past winter.

she has not found anyone that can provide any troubleshooting for this. All the techs and nurses seem to just shrug shoulders and have no solutions.

Has anyone had a similar issue and have you found a work around?

[bumblebee_tuna]

Ask about switching the machine to a Tidal Wave program. Don't let them ignore you.

[Winston6641 in reply to bumblebee_tuna]

How will switching to a tidal going to help this situation? Tidal is used to prevent drain pain. It isn't used to help completely drain the patient

[Baddstuff]

I made a post here a few months back about the Amia machine not draining completely when I use two 1.5 bags. If I am going to use two 1.5 bags I need to be awake for the reasons you stated. Luckily I rarely have to use two 1.5 bags. I mainly use one 1.5 and one 2.5 bags. This lets me do dialysis while I sleep. I put the 2.5 bag before the 1.5 bag and that seems to work best. I mentioned the 1.5 issues with my doctor but there's not much that can be done.

[checkman]

Switch to a different brand machine?

[Erifre]

Hi Rubylark, I’m so sorry your mom is having issues with her cycler. If she is being overfilled talk to her Nephrologist, he can be able to reduce the prescription amount and ask her PD nurse to adjust the cycles. If it is a problem of Sharesource (the program that Amia uses to manage the treatment), Baxter support should be able to run tests remotely and know if your cycler needs to be changed. You are entitled to get another cycler in 24 hours if it is not working properly. I’ve done that a couple of times with my husband cycler. Check also with the PD nurse that you are not on tidal mode or reduce the tidal percentage. This will keep her from being overfilled. My husband keeps a tidal mode to avoid suction pain leaving an amount of solution in. I hope this can help and that your mom feels better.

[RhenDutchess123]

How do you know its not draining completely ?

Does it tell her that ? And does it start with an "Initial Drain" each night. Does she happen to have Fibrin in her Catheter that may be slowing down the pump drain ?

If she is getting "Overfilled" .she needs to contact Baxter immediately, as this could be very dangerous

[Darlenia in reply to RhenDutchess123]

The "overfill" is very concerning. It "seems" like prescription/programming errors to me. I'd call everyone - Baxter, nephrologists, everyone. My hubby used the old HomeChoice Pro so we haven't had any dealings with Amia other than the hospital using one for my hubby during a hospital stay. That one worked beautifully. I've also heard some cyclers work better if they're positioned above you, but our old one was level with the bed.

[RhenDutchess123 in reply to Darlenia]

I use Amia...with very few problems...it may also be her Cathater as they can clog with Fibrin or Catheter may have migrated so it can't reach all the fluid to remove...I am not sure how she knows she is "overfilled"...is it a code the machine is giving her or just something she feels..but it needs resolved..and I would contact Baxter. They are very helpful and know more how these machines operate than the Nurses...My Nurses always tell me to call Baxter when I have a problem with equipment

[bumblebee_tuna in reply to RhenDutchess123]

The machine just drains until it thinks it's done, it seem like here the machine decides it's done too early. I assume it's sucking, and if nothing comes out it concludes a full drain and move on to the next cycle. It could be catheter placement or body position, or maybe a partially clogged catheter. How long does the drain cycle take? That should give you some indication.

[RhenDutchess123 in reply to bumblebee_tuna]

Mine takes between 9 to 11 minutes...Look at the details page when the treatment is done...it will tell you what it did

[bumblebee_tuna in reply to RhenDutchess123]

That is fast, takes me at least 20 minutes for 2 liter.

[RhenDutchess123 in reply to bumblebee_tuna]

That seems slow...how long are your dwells ?

[bumblebee_tuna in reply to RhenDutchess123]

I don't actually dwell on the machine (it's complicated...). I think the issue is that I have those extended connectors that let you disconnect from the machine and reconnect, I think they slow down the drain/fill.

[Erifre]

Hi rubylark, it’s me again, check with your nurse the program, the clinic can adjust the MAX PERITONEAL VOLUME and set up the necessary amount of fluid for her treatment in a safe way. This changes can be done by her nurse using her computer at the clinic. For my husband (he is a 6.1” guy in his late 40’s) the maximum volume his peritoneum can have is 3,250ml (this volume is set up to avoid overflowing). Talk to your mom’s Nephrologist, he can help you asking the nurse. Dialysis is a great aid to help our loved ones live if it’s managed correctly, and that starts with the clinic. It is a team effort in which the caregiver becomes the supervisor. The main priority is the patient wellness, and if they feel bad is because a part of the process is wrong. I’m not a doctor, (actually I’m an Architect), but I have learned, the hard way throughout the years how to deal with a lot of issues fortunately for me, I got a great, great PD nurse, she has been a great teacher.

AMIA SETTINGS

[bumblebee_tuna in reply to Erifre]

They have to switch her to Tidal for that?

[Erifre in reply to bumblebee_tuna]

no, the tidal is for patients that struggle with the cycler’s suction (drain), this mode allows a certain amount of solution to remain in the peritoneum to avoid pain when the program reaches the drain phase.

[rubylark]

Thank you all for your valuable input. I have passed along all of your suggestions to her. She is getting overfilled b/c its not draining her completely and the machine does not seem to know its not completely draining her. so it just moves on to the next cycle and tries to fill her up with the amount indicated regardless of how much is left in her. This seems to be a new issue. I will ask her to check her catheter to make sure its not stopped up.

in the past, she would get a notification on the machine to reposition herself so it could drain properly, but it seems to have stopped doing that as well with this latest software update. I will also mention to her about the Tidal.

she says she knows she is becoming overfilled because it gets to the point where it presses up on her digestive tract/stomach and she almost gets sick and has a lot of discomfort. Her dwells usually take about 20 min each.

[rubylark]

Another quick update - I sent all of your comments to my mom. She is getting the impression from the nurses that she is the first one at this center to be on Amia as they made a comment to her today that they are switching everyone else over. She got mixed answers when she asked if she was on Tidal - one person told her yes, another one told her no.

She is going to call tech support and I am going to call Baxter. In the meantime, does anyone know if you can call another center for support? It seems like the one she is going to does not have any experience with this machine.

[RhenDutchess123 in reply to rubylark]

If they can't answer her questions they need to send her a new machine...which is what they usually do after 3 calls...The Amia knows how much fluid it has given her and it gives a detailed summary at the end of treatment showing what was put in and what was removed...if her machine is not doing that it may be defective

[rubylark]

Hi, just wanted to give an update in case this is helpful for someone else. My mom got through to a Baxter rep and it turns out, there is a setting that the user (my mom) cannot see, but the nurses are able to see on their end. The setting controls maximum amount of fluid. This is a separate setting from the setting used to control fill volume. The maximum setting on her machine was set to High, allowing the machine to overfill. The nurse has since changed it. So we will see how things go tonight. Hopefully this is the answer.