Nutricia FLOCARE DirectPEG Gebrauchsanweisung Seite 34

BALLOON INDICATOR
Function
• The balloon indicator on the Flocare® DirectPEG is an additional safety
mechanism that shows you whether the balloon is still intact and/or
suffi ciently fi lled and indicates whether the tube is suffi ciently taut or
too loose against the abdominal wall.
• The balloon indicator has a red, green and blue area.
• When the tube is removed from the packaging and the balloon is empty,
the indicator will be in the red area (Fig. 1).
• When the tube is placed in the puncture tract, the balloon must be
fi lled. Once the Luer-Lock syringe fi lled with 5 ml sterile water has been
connected to the balloon fi lling valve and the balloon has been fi lled, the
balloon indicator will move from the red area to the end of the green or
beginning of the blue area (Fig. 2). Do never fi ll the balloon with air as it
can leak through the balloon valve so that the tube may not be securely
retained any longer.
• When the Luer-Lock syringe is disconnected from the connector on the
tube, the indicator will move back to around the middle of the green area.
The balloon is then optimally fi lled (Fig. 3). If the balloon is defective, e.g.
there is a hole in the balloon, the indicator would immediately move to the
red area after the syringe is withdrawn. This enables you to see and verify
whether the balloon is intact and suffi ciently fi lled.
• Following initial placement, the balloon tube should be secured under
slight tension until the stoma has completely healed. The balloon indicator
will reliably show you whether the tension is suffi cient here or whether the
tube is too loose against the abdominal wall.
• Until the stoma is completely healed, the tube should be drawn tightly
enough so that the balloon indicator is in the blue area (Fig. 4). The
indicator should remain visible in the blue area. Please make sure that
the indicator does not exceed this range.
• When the stoma is completely healed, a distance of approx. 5 mm
should be left between the abdominal wall and the external retaining
plate. The balloon indicator will be in the green area in such cases
(Fig. 5).
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