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Updated: Jul 14, 2026

A Murine Model of Hemodialysis Access-Related Hand Dysfunction
Published on: May 31, 2022
A cluster of hemodialysis-related bacteremia linked to artificial fingernails
Fred M Gordin1, Maureen E Schultz, Ruth Huber
1Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Washington, DC 20422, USA. fred.gordin@va.gov
Abstract:
We examined a cluster of 5 hemodialysis patients who contracted gram-negative bacteremia. A nurse who used an artificial fingernail to open a vial of heparin that was mixed to make a flush solution had a culture of an artificial fingernail specimen positive for Serratia marcescens. The typing of the S. marcescens strains isolated from the 5 patients and the nurse showed them to be identical. This finding provides strong support for policies prohibiting artificial nails for healthcare workers in all hemodialysis units.
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