Since I've started doing my own infustions, I have gotten air bubbles.
We switched pumps (used to use the apple shaped pump and now using the baby bottle one).
Sometimes, the air is in the line in the middle of the infusion! it's been 1 - 1 1/2 inch long! I called the pharmacy and they said not to worry about it.
Today, after the infusion was done, I flushed with normal saline. When I took it off the picc and put the heparin on, something (i'm assuming air?) shot thru the picc line extension and into my arm like quicksilver.
Yesterday, i got air in as well and I immediately get a headache in the back of my head. Happened again today.
I might be herxing it's scary that I never got these types of headaches before I started doing the infusions myself.
Any help would be appreciated. I'm scared the air bubbles might be getting to my brain and causing damage.
They are generally about 1 - 1 1/2 long. Sometimes, little baby ones. I don't know how big today's bubble that shot thru my arm was.
Posts: 165 | From lymeland | Registered: Apr 2010
| IP: Logged |
sammy
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 13952
posted
You can do your best to minimize air bubbles but you will always get a few little bubbles here and there if you watch closely.
First, check to make sure that that your extension sets and end caps are secured on as they should be. Make sure that your PICC is not visibly broken or leaking in any place.
Before you start your IV's remember to prime the tubing. That means run the air out of the tubing so that the medicine drips down to the tip.
Also, hold your syringe flushes upright and push the air out of them before you attach them to your PICC lines. This should help keep air bubbles out.
Another trick for flushing is to leave the air bubble in but stop pushing when you get the 1cc/ml mark. That way you leave the bubble inside the syringe. Either way the goal is no air in the PICC
See if these things help. Hopefully you won't have any more problems. A few bubbles every now and then won't hurt. Alot of air is not good.
It was smart of you to call your pharmacist right away when you were concerned with the infusion. Hopefully everything will get easier and you'll feel better soon.
Posts: 5237 | From here | Registered: Nov 2007
| IP: Logged |
Thank you. I don't know if my headaches are due to the air or to the lyme flaring up.
I'm scared I might have done some harm to myself.
Do you know the amount of air that's acceptable? The pharmacy said 10ml's. Is that right?
Posts: 165 | From lymeland | Registered: Apr 2010
| IP: Logged |
sammy
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 13952
posted
Hi jeffinca, I'm sorry to hear you have a headache. Lots of things can cause headaches so it's hard to say what's causing it now.
So about the air bubbles yesterday. Take a look at your extension set, mine is 7" long. Priming volume on the package is 0.42ml. That is a tiny tiny tiny amount of fluid. It takes only 0.42ml to fill that whole extension tube! Now think how small a 1" bubble would really be if you saw it in your extension set. That's a pretty small bubble, right?
Ideally you don't want any air in your PICC line. You do what you can to prevent that by priming and flushing properly, making sure that extension sets and end caps are secure, etc.
I honestly don't know what is an acceptable or dangerous amount of air for a PICC line. 10cc is a lot! It would be very hard for you to get that much in if you were paying attention to what you were doing before during and after the infusions.
Take care jeffinca Posts: 5237 | From here | Registered: Nov 2007
| IP: Logged |
penguingirl
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 28688
posted
Yes everything Sammy said was helpful advice. The main thing to make sure you let the air out of the tubing after you connected it to your IV bag.
I hold the tip into a plastic bag so the liquid drips in the bag.
Then without letting the tip touch anything, alcohol swap your picc line extension and then you can hook it up and start dripping.
My IV nurse said that there will be some minor bubbles here and there even once you started dripping but those are ok. If you are really concerned you can flick them and the bubble will disspate into smaller size lengths along the tubing.
-------------------- Posts: 1204 | From USA | Registered: Oct 2010
| IP: Logged |
blinkie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 14470
posted
I agree that checking to make sure your caps and extensions are on properly and maybe evening changing them out. You know. I had this problem with my first single lumen PICC.
After that one failed, by getting a hole it in, I've never had a problem with my new double lumen PICC.
Try to minimize the air going in but you'll never keep it all out. My nurses have told me that to do any real damage, you'd have to inject like 2 or 3 10CC syringes full of air.
Posts: 1104 | From N.California | Registered: Jan 2008
| IP: Logged |
The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:
The
Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey 907 Pebble Creek Court,
Pennington,
NJ08534USA http://www.lymenet.org/
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic