Novel approach for bacteremia detection in patients with end-stage renal failure undergoing hemodialysis

Severe systemic infections are one of the leading causes of death in patients with end-stage renal disease and are often associated with hospitalization. Since bacteria can be identified in used hemofilters in an ICU setting, it was investigated whether this method might be useful in patients undergoing regular intermittent hemodialysis. By analyzing used hemodialyzers in (n = 13) patients, we identified systemic bacteremia in two patients (15.4%) while corresponding blood cultures were negative. In two further patients, positive microbiological findings from hemodialyzers appeared to be of unclear clinical relevance. Cultures from hemodialyzers might be an add-on approach for the identification of bacteria in the blood stream of patients undergoing regular intermittent hemodialysis.