After the catheter has been correctly covered with the foil dressing, your client can take a shower.
We recommend showering before a drainage procedure, as this allows a dressing change to be carried out promptly if the dressing gets wet while showering.

As long as the catheter is working and no infection is apparent, the catheter should not be changed. However, if you suspect an infection, contact the patient’s doctor.

The material prescribed by the doctor will be sent to the patient’s home free of charge by ewimed Switzerland AG after discharge from hospital. If further drainage sets are required, these can be ordered directly from ewimed Switzerland AG on this website, by telephone or e-mail. The prescription drainage sets are not available from medical supply stores or pharmacies, so we can advise you on their correct use at any time.

If breathing difficulties persist after drainage has been completed, contact the doctor treating you or the implanting clinic for further clarification or diagnostics. The causes of this can be very different and depend on the individual course of your client’s illness.

The color of the effusion can change over time. From light yellow to dark, amber-colored effusions; cloudy, milky effusions with or clear effusions without components are possible. Here too, the individual illness of your client is decisive. If the effusions are bloody, the attending physician should be informed. The further procedure lies within the medical decision-making framework.

We have compiled a number of aids in the form of documents or training videos in our download area to help you carry out dressing changes correctly on patients with catheters for draining pleural effusion or ascites.

If you have any further questions on this topic, please feel free to ask us in person.

How often the dressing needs to be changed for your patient with an implanted catheter for draining pleural effusions and ascites depends, among other things, on the drainage interval. The dressing must be changed after each drainage. The dressing must also be changed after every shower. For reasons of hygiene, we recommend changing the dressing every other day at the latest. For patients with a weeping wound, which is usually the case directly after implantation, the dressing should be changed at least once a day.

We will be happy to advise you.

If the effusion stops during drainage, there may be several reasons for this. The most pleasant reason is that there is no more effusion. If this occurs frequently, a spontaneous pleurodesis may have taken place and the catheter can be explanted. Another reason could be a blockage of the drainage tube caused by a viscous or fibrinous effusion. In this case, you can try to mobilize the blockage by gently “milking” the drainage tube so that the effusion flows again or the catheter must be flushed. You must contact a doctor for this. You can find out how the flushing procedure is carried out here.

How can I “milk” the catheter?
In preparation, the catheter must be connected to a reservoir so that the blockage and any accumulation of effusion can drain away directly. Put on disposable gloves and moisten them with hand sanitizer so that the catheter can slide between your fingers. If large particles are visible, squeeze them together. Then hold the catheter close to the exit point with one hand so that there is no great tension at the exit point. With the other hand, squeeze the catheter near the exit point and push it out in the direction of the safety valve. If nothing comes loose, repeat the process several times.

If pain occurs when draining the fluid, stop the drainage using the clamp on the drainage tube and take a break. If the pain does not subside or reoccurs when the drainage is resumed, a doctor should be consulted and it may be possible to switch to a different drainage variant.

If you have any further questions or if the answers described are not suitable, please contact ewimed at info.ch@ewimed.com or +4152 577 02 55. We will be happy to help you.