Initial impact of COVID-19 on dialysis provision; review of international guidelines and adaptation of a hub unit's service.

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has put a strain on many aspects of health care including the provision of dialysis. Two categories of patients have had the greatest impact on dialysis capacity. Those with COVID-19-related acute kidney injury and those chronic dialysis patients who required isolation or cohort dialysis because of the pandemic. Limited information on incidence hampers capacity planning and the rapid change in demand provides further challenges. In the 4 weeks after our first patient, the incidence of confirmed infection in our dialysis population has been 5.1%. By the third week, hemodialysis had to be provided in critical care as the in-house capacity for hemofiltration had been overwhelmed. The interventions that enabled these needs to be met are detailed in this paper alongside a review of international recommendations and how they have been adapted to meet local pressures.