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Safely reducing haemodialysis frequency during the COVID-19 pandemic

Michelle Da Silva Lodge1, Thilini Abeygunaratne1, Helen Alderson1

  • 1Department of Renal Medicine, Salford Royal NHS Trust, Stott Lane, Salford, M68HD, UK.

BMC Nephrology
|December 8, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Reducing haemodialysis (HD) frequency to twice-weekly for selected patients during COVID-19 was safe and feasible. This strategy helped lower exposure and transmission risks for dialysis patients.

Area of Science:

  • Nephrology
  • Infectious Disease Epidemiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Patients undergoing haemodialysis (HD) face increased risks of severe COVID-19 outcomes.
  • The study addresses the need to reduce COVID-19 exposure and transmission within HD units.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the safety and feasibility of temporarily reducing haemodialysis frequency from thrice to twice-weekly for selected patients.
  • To mitigate COVID-19 transmission risks during the pandemic.

Main Methods:

  • 166 suitable haemodialysis patients were converted to twice-weekly sessions for 4 weeks.
  • Pre-dialysis weight, systolic blood pressure, and biochemistry were monitored weekly.
  • Management protocols for hyperkalaemia were implemented.

Main Results:

  • No deaths were definitively linked to the reduced dialysis protocol.
  • 19 patients required transfer back to thrice-weekly dialysis due to fluid overload, hyperkalaemia, or COVID-19.
  • Statistically significant increases in systolic blood pressure and pre-dialysis potassium were observed.

Conclusions:

  • Short-term conversion to twice-weekly haemodialysis is possible and safe for selected patients.
  • This approach can effectively reduce COVID-19 transmission risks in dialysis centers.
  • The strategy offers a viable solution for managing patient flow and infection control during health crises.
Abstract

Keywords:
COVID-19CoronavirusHaemodialysisMortalitySARS-CoV-2Twice weekly

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