Plasma Exchange

[melanie]

looks like PEX in Nov waiting for insurance approval.I will post more dont want to jinx or give false info until everything is set, Dr says 5-7 days in hospital.WOW

 

Melanie

[Jtsmama]

How do you get insurance approval for Pex?

[Christianmom]

Your son is adult size? If so he can do w/o central line- if that is the case I think it's a "no-brainer"- all the risk lies in the central line.

 

Do you know whether doing PEX by IV is questionable in terms of whether the vein collapses? In other words, do kids usually make it through the procedure successfully by IV only. What happens if the vein collapses? Or is that not really something to worry about?

 

Sorry dcmom. Should have read the entire thread before posting. My question was already answered.

Edited October 27, 2011 by Christianmom

[oivay]

There is a danger of the veins collapsing when pex is done through IV.

In our case, her veins held up. They did it twice weekly (Mon/Thurs) for 3 weeks. By the 3rd week, we were keeping our fingers crossed, as we really didn't want to get the line put in.

Thankfully, her veins held up. It helps if you have the kid do hand squeezing exercises beforehand, and I got some theraputty from an OT friend. When they squeeze the hands, it helps the veins stand out.