Peritoneal Dialysis Touch Contamination Management Tips

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What if I touch the end of the catheter or the betadine cap comes off?

If you contaminate the end of the catheter by touching it or you see the betadine cap come off the catheter, follow these steps:

Shut any open clamp immediately.
Gather a blue pad and a Minicap (Betadine Cap).
Place a blue pad (chux) under the PD catheter.
Wash or gel your hands and put on a mask.
Place a new (Minicap) betadine cap on the end of your catheter (transfer set).
Call your child’s dialysis nurse or on-call nurse. Seattle Children’s considers this an emergent event. There will be additional steps.

What if my child gets disconnected during therapy or the cap comes off the transfer set?

If your child gets disconnected during therapy, the transfer set becomes disconnected from the catheter, or you find the transfer set without a Betadine cap, follow these steps:

Shut any open clamp immediately.
Gather a blue pad and a Minicap (Betadine Cap).
Place a blue pad (chux) under the PD catheter.
Wash or gel your hands and put on a mask.
Place a new (Minicap) betadine cap on the end of your catheter (transfer set).
Call your child’s dialysis nurse. You will need to come in for a transfer set change and to start emergency antibiotics for a few days.

What if my child develops any FACT symptoms
(Flu-like symptoms, Abdominal pain, Cloudy fluid, Temperature)

If your child has FACT symptoms, they may have peritonitis. Germs have caused an infection in the peritoneal cavity. This can be due to:

Possible contamination of sterile supplies or work area
Another infection in the body (for example, a urinary tract infection or UTI)

Who to call

Call the on-call kidney doctor immediately.
Let the PD nurse know.

What to do

Get the cell count and culture of the PD fluid from your child’s peritoneal effluent via PD catheter. Follow the steps in the video to get a fluid sample from the PD catheter:
If your child still urinates, get a urinalysis and culture of their urine.

QR code View this video for the steps to get a fluid sample from your PD catheter.

Getting a Peritoneal Dialysis Fluid Sample from the PD Catheter
youtube.com/watch?v=yQTVxpuzScQ

Treatment plan

Your child will need:

Antibiotics through an IV or through the peritoneum (IP) as soon as possible
A meeting with your dialysis team to discuss probable causes of the infection
Possible admission to the hospital for treatment

To Learn More

Dialysis
206-987-3985
After hours, weekends and holidays call the hospital at 206-987-2000 and ask for the nephrologist on call.
Ask your child’s healthcare provider
seattlechildrens.org/patient-education

Free Interpreter Services

In the hospital, ask your nurse.
From outside the hospital, call the toll-free Family Interpreting Line, 1-866-583-1527. Tell the interpreter the name or extension you need.

Seattle Children’s offers free interpreter services for patients, family members and legal representatives who are deaf or hard of hearing or speak a language other than English. Seattle Children’s will make this information available in alternate formats upon request. Call the Family Resource Center at 206-987-2201. This handout has been reviewed by clinical staff at Seattle Children’s. However, your needs are unique. Before you act or rely upon this information, please talk with your healthcare provider.

08/01/2024

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