Effortless Home Drainage At Your Fingertips
The Aspira Drainage System is a compassionate home treatment option for patients with recurrent pleural effusions and malignant ascites. Aspira offers both a bag and a bottle to allow you to conveniently manage your symptoms at home, eliminating the need for frequent hospital visits.
Aspira Drainage Catheter Procedure
Learn how the Aspira drainage system works
Features & Benefits
Patient Comfort
The Aspira Drainage Bag’s gravity-based design with siphon assist, produces a consistent pressure flow for minimized discomfort.
Ease-Of-Use
After connecting the drainage line to the catheter valve, one gentle squeeze of the bulb on the bag will initiate drainage. With the Aspira Drainage Bag there is no risk of accidentally discharging vacuum. Vacuum is activated with one squeeze of the manual pump.
Faster Drainage
Faster drainage flow rate with the Aspira Drainage Bag means you can get back to what you enjoy sooner.
Drainage Options
The option of a drainage bag or drainage bottle allows you to use the best drainage method.
Frequently Asked Questions
The catheter helps get rid of extra fluid around your lungs or in your abdomen
Video: Introduction to the Aspira Drainage CatheterThe catheter allows you to drain the extra fluid around your lungs or in your abdomen at home. Draining fluid will help relieve symptoms such as pain in your chest or abdomen and shortness of breath.
The catheter is generally placed by the doctor using a minimally invasive procedure either in a hospital or a clinic setting. Catheter placement is often performed on an outpatient basis and, therefore, will likely not require an overnight stay in the hospital. Your doctor will place the catheter in your chest or abdomen depending on your specific needs.
You may have a few stitches where the doctor placed the catheter into the fluid (insertion site) and where the catheter comes out of your skin (exit site).
You will drain fluid from the catheter when you feel pain in your chest or abdomen or are having difficulty breathing. Your healthcare provider will tell you how often you should do this. You will want to keep the area around your catheter clean. Your healthcare provider will give you instructions on how this is done.
You will need an Aspira Drainage Bag or Bottle for draining fluid and an Aspira Dressing Kit to change your bandage as instructed by your healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider should have provided you with a supply of Kits but you may need to reorder Kits as you need them.
The Aspira Drainage Catheter is a soft silicone tube. This tube has lots of holes on one end. This end is inside your body. The fluid enters these holes and flows into the catheter. The other end of the catheter has a valve to access the catheter for fluid drainage.
When you connect the Aspira Drainage Bag or Bottle to the catheter, the valve opens. If using the Bag, when you squeeze the pump on the Aspira Drainage Bag, the fluid will start to drain from your chest or abdomen and fill the drainage bag. If using the Bottle, when you turn the handle, the fluid will start to drain from your chest or abdomen and fill the drainage bottle.
When no more fluid is flowing into the drainage bag or bottle, or the bag or bottle is full, unhook the drainage bag or bottle from your catheter. Or follow the advice provided to you by your healthcare provider.
Some of the things that could happen would include:
- Infection
- Pain during fluid drainage
- Break or accidental cut in the catheter
- Catheter valve damage
- Slow or no drainage
- Accidental catheter removal
- Low blood pressure after drainage
You will be given information (see Patient Guide) on what to do if any of these things do happen.
You may shower if a watertight covering, like the one in the dressing kit, is placed securely over the catheter. Do not bathe or allow the catheter to soak under water. If the area becomes wet, remove the dressing, dry and dress with a new dressing kit.
It is up to your healthcare provider to decide how long you need the catheter. It can stay in place as long as you need it and you remain free of complications.
If you have any additional questions or concerns, be sure to consult with your healthcare provider.
Patient Support
Important Safety Information
Caution
Don’t drain more than 1,000 mL from the chest or more than 2,000 mL from the abdomen in any one drainage. Always follow the advice from your doctor.
Contact your doctor if you have any of the following:
- Shortness of breath that isn’t relieved after draining 1,000 mL from the chest or 2,000 mL from the abdomen at one time.
- On-going pain or shortness of breath but little or no fluid is draining from the catheter.
- Less than 25-50 mL drain during each drainage for 3 drainages in a row.
- The appearance of your fluid changes a lot between drainages.
- If you develop a fever (body temperature above 100.5°F [38°C]), notice redness, swelling, oozing or have pain at the exit site. These may be signs of infection that may requite treatment. Consult your doctor immediately.
Documents & Resources
Patient Guide
Drainage Bag IFU
Drainage Bottle IFU
Patient Wall Chart
Drainage Record
Aspira FAQ’s
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Contact us for more information about the Aspira Drainage System