BLOCKAGE ALARM! - Is the tubing kinked or clamp closed?
If yes, straighten the tubing, open clamps.
If no, has the foam collapsed in the dressing?
FOAM COLLAPSED - Has the foam collapsed in the dressing?
If yes, verify that the Silicone hub is sitting on at least 2-inch diameter piece of foam
If no, is the hole too small or absent beneath the port pad? - Recommend 1 inch hole in drape to accommodate the port pad opening.
SILICONE HUB - Is the Silicone hub sitting on at least a 2-inch-diameter piece of foam?
If yes, does the port pad have pressure from patient's position, wrap, drape, or shoe/offloading device?
If no, place 2-inch diameter piece of foam beneath the port pad on the drape to protect healthy skin
(mushroom cap technique) Especially important for wounds with small openings.
Note: The "mushroom cap technique" for small wounds is used in negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) dressings to protect surrounding healthy skin and prevent the wound foam from over-collapsing, which can cause pressure damage or maceration to the periwound area.
PORT PAD - Does the port pad have pressure from patient's position, wrap, drape or shoe/offloading device?
If yes, make every attempt to alleviate pressure by bridging the port pad, wrapping/draping
around not over if possible. Sustained downward pressure can cause blockage alarm. If downward pressure cannot be completely alleviated.
If no, ask the questions below about a blockage alarm:
- Are all clamps unclamped?
- Are there any kinks in the tubing?
- Is there pressure over the port pad? ie: draping over the port pad
- Was the hole in drape over the foam cut to at least quarter size?
If the above questions do not produce a resolution, additional questions can be asked:
- Where is the wound located?
- What type of wound is this?
- How long has the patient had Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) on the wound? (Include inpatient and post-acute time)
- When was the canister last changed?
- How much is in the canister?
- Is there any fluid noted in the dressing when the pump is on?
Depending on the answers, settings can be changed. We often find that if dressing was applied correctly, and there are no kinks and tubing is unclamped, the blockage is most likely caused by a scant to small drainage amount from the wound and/or the wound is very small. To rectify this issue, the setting on the pump can be changed in Factory Admin.
To enter the Factory Admin Menu, follow the instructions below:
MENU/SELECT -> SETTINGS -> FACTORY ADMIN (Password is “Up arrow, Down arrow, Left arrow,
Right arrow, Up arrow, Down arrow, Menu/Select”)
Block Delay:
You can reset the blockage alarm to 25 minutes. This means anytime the pump activates, the 25 minute
delay starts again. Even with a small wound with a small amount of drainage, this should alleviate the
blockage alarm.
Pressure Tolerance:
The number represents how much pressure at the wound bed must be lost for the pump to ramp back up.
If set at 10, and the pump setting is -125mmHg, then the pump will not ramp up until it falls below -115mmHg. If setting is changed to 5, then the pump will activate (thus resetting the blockage alarm time to 0) when the pump reaches -120mmHg. Please contact our clinical specialist team for further direction on troubleshooting a blockage alarm via email: clinical@corkmedical.com
The PDF is available for download below.