Hemodialysis vascular access care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
J Chin Med Assoc
; 83(7): 634-638, 2020 07.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-391651
ABSTRACT
Dialysis patients are more vulnerable and susceptible to the severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection due to multiple comorbidities. Since Taiwan has the highest incidence and prevalence of treated end-stage kidney disease worldwide, it is crucial to act in advance to prevent a potential disaster. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, we implement proactive infection control measures to prevent it from spreading without sacrificing the dialysis care quality. In this article, we focused on hemodialysis vascular access (HVA) care in particular. As a life-line of hemodialysis (HD) patients, HVA care has a profound impact on the patient's quality of dialysis and life. Specifically, in our facility, the working and office areas of the HD units are separated to reduce cross-infection. All elective procedures for HVA are postponed, and operating rooms equipped with a negative-pressure anteroom are used for the suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients. Herein, we share how we modified our HVA care policy not only to prevent our patients from COVID-19 infection but also to maintain the quality of HVA care.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pneumonia, Viral
/
Renal Dialysis
/
Coronavirus Infections
/
Pandemics
/
Vascular Access Devices
/
Betacoronavirus
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
J Chin Med Assoc
Journal subject:
Medicine
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
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