Your doctor has chosen the Denver Ascites Shunt for you as a means of controlling the build up of excess fluid in the abdomen. This is an alternative to repeated needle withdrawals of the fluid. Because the Denver Ascites Shunt can be left in place for weeks, months or even years, it is important that you know how to take care of it - so that you can get the most benefit from your shunt.

Shunt Maintenance

Pumping the shunt
To keep the fluid moving out of your abdomen, the shunt should be properly pumped on a daily basis.

Proper pumping technique

• Lie down on your back
• Firmly grasp the sides of the pump chamber between your thumb and forefinger
• Using a finger from your other hand, firmly press the center of the pump chamber inward, as far as you can, and then slowly lift up your finger
• If your surgeon has given you a single-valved shunt, you should press on the tube just above the chamber before you lift your finger up from the pump chamber
• Pressing down on the pump chamber removes fluid from your abdomen and fills the pump chamber; continued pumping moves fluid through the chamber and into your bloodstream
• It is important to pump the shunt 20 times, twice a day, once at bedtime and again prior to rising in the morning
  

Regular, daily schedule

• Pump the shunt 20 times in the morning
• Pump the shunt 20 times in the evening
  

Value of pumping the ascites shunt

• Flushes fluid through the shunt
• Twenty consecutive compressions provides an exchange of fluid through the pump chamber
• Limits the accumulation of fibrin and other debris within the shunt
• Helps avoid the formation of an occlusive fibrin sheath at the venous tip
• Helps avoid late occlusion due to thrombus formation
  

Disclaimer

The materials contained within these website pages are presented by Denver Biomedical, Inc. purely for informational purposes only. In no way are any of the materials presented here meant to be a substitute for professional medical care or attention by a licensed physician, nor should they be inferred as such. Patients should check with their physician if they have any questions or concerns about their medical condition and treatment. The only way patients should use the information provided on these pages is to discuss it with the physician who is directing their care. Every patient and every medical condition is different because of the many factors involved. Only the personal physician can make the best recommendation about treatment.

Neither Denver Biomedical, Inc. nor any other party who has been involved in the preparation of this website is responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for ANY form of damages whatsoever resulting from the use or misuse of information contained in or implied by these materials.