Kidney Patient Guide

Hi,

I have always cleaned my exit site with hibiscrub (as well as washing my hands before setting up the machine etc). I've just had my delivery and the hibiscrub has been replaced with carex hand soap (exactly the stuff you buy from the supermarket, same packaging)

I will check with my unit before using carex to clean my exit site but it just feels a bit less medical and thorough, has anyone else had a similar substitution? Carex is considerably cheaper than hibiscub and I assume for hand washing it may be ok but I'm a bit unsure about cleaning my exit site with it.

Hi Soobee,

Any hand cleaner will do the trick, even soap. They all kill and/or wash off bacteria and viruses. The alcohol gels hospitals have been using, "Please wash your hands before entering this area". only kill bacteria viruses can and do survive.

Best wishes.

Soobee,

I had carex delivered for hand washing and washing round the exit site in the shower. It's just soap. I wouldn't use it neat on the exit site. I used alcohol swabs for this. I also had alcohol hand rub for using after hand washing.

I'd check with your unit as to what they want you to do.

Sue

Hi, thanks for your replies.

I'm happy to use carex for hand washing, I expect good hand washing technique is probably as important as the soap that you use! However, not using hibiscrub for my exit site makes me feel a bit nervous (probably not logically at all!)

The hibiscrub website does seem to indicate that it is a bit more than just soap though -

Antimicrobial skin cleanser HiBiScrub® contains chlorhexidine gluconate, which unlike soaps and gels, binds to the skin and offers persistent, superior protection for six hours2. The efficacy is strengthened upon repeated application3. HiBiScrub containing the active chlorhexidine gluconate has a significant proven efficacy killing a wide range of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, yeasts, fungi and viruses4. Helping to provide protection against surgical site infections and incision site bacterial growth of microorganisms in less than 60 seconds5. This helps to provide protection against surgical site infections6.

The only thing that touched my exit site was sterile water from stick like pouches(narmasol)and gauze to wipe in a motion away from the exit site.

This was the procedure at Sheffield/Doncaster about 4 years ago and it may have changed now. If the shower I was allowed to use liquid soap/shower gel but not to touch the site with a cloth etc. Gauze was also used to dry around the site to prevent touching.

Not sure I would be confident using anti bacterial soaps/washes? Do you use the gauze system or just bare hands when cleaning, I had training on how to sterile open gauze! Looking back it all seems daft but it prevented inf cation/peritonitis.

I use a small pot (washed out with hibiscrub) add a squirt of hibiscrub and warm water then use a gauze (taken out without touching the middle) dipped in to wipe (away from the tube, as you said) and then redress. I don't touch the exit site (except with gauze).