1. Hemodialysis vascular access care during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Author
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Yi Fang Wang, Yang Ho, Chiu Yang Lee, Cheng Hsueh Wu, Der Cherng Tarng, and Chih Yu Yang
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Pneumonia, Viral ,MEDLINE ,Infection control ,030204 cardiovascular system & hematology ,03 medical and health sciences ,Betacoronavirus ,0302 clinical medicine ,Renal Dialysis ,Pandemic ,medicine ,Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 ,Humans ,Review Articles ,Pandemics ,Dialysis ,Quality of Health Care ,Hemodialysis vascular access ,business.industry ,SARS-CoV-2 ,Incidence (epidemiology) ,COVID-19 ,General Medicine ,medicine.disease ,Pneumonia ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Emergency medicine ,Hemodialysis ,business ,Coronavirus Infections ,Vascular Access Devices ,Kidney disease - 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.
- Published
- 2020