Your doctor has chosen the Denver Pleural Effusion Shunt for you as a means of controlling the build up of excess fluid in the pleural space surrounding your lung. This is an alternative to repeated needle withdrawals of the fluid or to chest tube placement. Because the Denver Pleural Effusion Shunts 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

The excess fluid that has accumulated in the chest must be manually pumped from the pleural space to the abdomen; it does not flow by itself. Therefore, we recommend frequent pumping of the shunt for the first 24 to 48 hours. The nursing staff best performs this pumping schedule for the first 12-24 hours following surgery. After that your surgeon will have you or a caregiver pump the shunt.

Proper pumping technique

For relief from shortness of breath, the shunt should be properly pumped 3-4 times daily.

• Lie down on your back
• Firmly grasp the sides of the pump chamber between the thumb and forefinger
• Using a finger from the other hand, firmly press the center of the pump chamber inward, as far as you can, and slowly lift up your finger
• Pressing down on the pump chamber removes fluid from around your lung filling the chamber; continued pumping of the pump chamber moves fluid through the double-valved chamber and into the abdomen
• You must pump the shunt to transfer the fluid; it does not flow by itself
• You will need to pump the shunt 3-4 times a day for 5 minutes, depending on how fast fluid collects in your chest, the amount of shortness of breath you experience, and instructions from your doctor
  
  

Regular, daily schedule

• Pump the shunt 4 times a day for 5 minutes each time
• You must pump the shunt 3-4 times EVERY day to remove the fluid from around your lungs and to relieve your shortness of breath
  

Value of pumping the pleural effusion shunt

• Provides prompt, lasting relief for shortness of breath
• Flushes fluid through the shunt
• Compressions 4 times a day for 10 minutes each time provides an exchange of fluid through the pump chamber
• Limits the accumulation of fibrin and other debris with the shunt
• Retains nutrients and decreases hospital stay
  

Patient care videos are available to you through your physician's office. Have your physician contact Denver Biomedical, Inc. on your behalf.

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.