Batch? What? Are you baking cookies?!

It was pointed out to me more than once that sometimes I don't do a good job of explaining the 'Shop Talk'. :) So, here's an attempt at explaining what a 'Batch' is.

This is our system. It is resting on a wheeled flat cart that we purchased because it makes this so much easier to move if you have to. On top is the dialysis machine. the NxStage System One. Below that, the great big nightstand looking piece is the PureFlow Pro, and that's what makes the dialysate. 

dialysate [di-al´ĭ-sāt]

1. the fluid and solutes in a dialysis process that simply flow through the dialyzer and do not pass through the semipermeable membrane, being discarded along with removed toxic substances after they flow back out of the dialyzer.

When doing dialysis, either Peritoneal, In center Hemo, or Home Hemo, you have to use dialysate. It's what pulls the toxins from your blood and moves them to the discard line. 

Traditionally, dialysate was always used from bags that you hung and connected to the machine. This method is a pain, because you have a LOT of boxes delivered to you each month, and the bags are heavy, and cumbersome. I had to use bags today, and had to hang 5, 5 Liter bags. Lifting them high enough on the IV pole time and time again is just yuck. 

The PureFlow shown above makes a BIG batch of dialysate. It holds 60 Liters, and is good for 72 hours. It's WONDERFUL to simply connect up to your PureFlow and have fresh dialysate. 

Because purity of the fluid is an issue, it's taken quite some time for something like this to come out, but many, many long time home dialyzors let out huge whoops when it was introduced. 

And that, my friends, is a 'Batch'. :)