Patient was educated on how to care for shunt in dialysis patients as follows:
- Do not lift more than 10 lbs. weight with the arm you have the shunt on.
- Do not use the arm that you have the shunt on for blood pressure recordings, blood draws, starting any intravenous medications, PICC line placements, or parenteral nutrition. Increasing the pressure on the shunt arm can result in bursting of the shunt and severe hemorrhage.
- Change the site of accessing the shunt during every dialysis treatment.
- Always have anyone accessing the site, wash their hands with soap and warm water before and after accessing the site. Noncompliance with this direction can result in infection at the site of shunt.
- Always clean the area of skin adjoining the shunt with antibacterial soap and water before every dialysis treatment.
