Dr. Abhinesh Vijaykumar, M.D., D.M. Nephrology, MRCP (UK), Consultant Nephrologist & Renal Transplant Physician, 10 Years Experience in Nephrology and Renal Transplant
Infection is the most common cause of hospitalization and the second most common cause of mortality among Hemodialysis (HD) patients, after cardiovascular disease. HD patients are exposed to different types of infection, which include bloodstream infections and localized infections of the vascular access, blood-borne infections with hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and/or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and airborne infections like tuberculosis, covid, etc.
Sources of Infections
The high risk of infections in dialysis patients is due to several factors including the close distance of dialysis patients to each other, the fast patient turnover between dialysis sessions, and the health of the person receiving dialysis. Many dialysis patients have other health conditions and/or a weakened immune system which can increase susceptibility to infections, especially when infection prevention practices are not strictly followed by dialysis staff. These health conditions often result in dialysis patients having frequent admissions to hospitals which expose them to antibiotic therapy and drug-resistant bacteria
Sources of infections could be contaminated water, equipment, and environmental surfaces in the treatment area and patients with infections who pose a risk to other nearby patients being treated in the dialysis unit.
Infections during Hemodialysis