RESUMO
Despite recent national initiatives promoting the arteriovenous fistula as the initial, primary, and sole vascular access to be used by hemodialysis patients and recommending a decrease in the prevalence of tunneled cuffed catheters to less than 10%, the prevalence of tunneled cuffed catheters as hemodialysis access is increasing. This study describes the risks of tunneled cuffed catheters, explores the reasons why they remain prevalent, and presents the stance that nephrologists have an obligation to offer tunneled cuffed catheters only for temporary use and not as an acceptable alternative for long-term vascular access to patients for whom a properly functioning arteriovenous fistula or graft is possible. Recommendations for tunneled cuffed catheter use were based on dialysis clinical practice guidelines and the medical evidence regarding outcomes of use of arteriovenous fistulas and tunneled cuffed catheters. The authors found that compared with dialysis with arteriovenous fistulas, long-term dialysis with tunneled cuffed catheters is associated with (1) two to threefold increased risk of death, (2) a five to 10-fold increased risk of serious infection, (3) increased hospitalization, (4) a decreased likelihood of adequate dialysis, and (5) an increased number of vascular access procedures. To adequately inform patients about access options, nephrologists are ethically obligated to systematically explain to patients the harms of tunneled cuffed catheters. If catheters must be used to initiate dialysis, nephrologists should present catheters only as "temporary" measures and "unsafe for long-term use."
Assuntos
Derivação Arteriovenosa Cirúrgica/ética , Cateterismo Venoso Central/ética , Cateteres de Demora/ética , Política de Saúde , Falência Renal Crônica/terapia , Papel do Médico , Diálise Renal/ética , Idoso , Derivação Arteriovenosa Cirúrgica/legislação & jurisprudência , Atitude do Pessoal de Saúde , Cateterismo Venoso Central/efeitos adversos , Cateteres de Demora/efeitos adversos , Comportamento de Escolha , Feminino , Regulamentação Governamental , Fidelidade a Diretrizes , Conhecimentos, Atitudes e Prática em Saúde , Humanos , Aceitação pelo Paciente de Cuidados de Saúde , Educação de Pacientes como Assunto , Guias de Prática Clínica como Assunto , Medição de Risco , Fatores de Tempo , Estados UnidosAssuntos
Cateteres de Demora , Tomada de Decisões/ética , Defesa do Paciente/ética , Cateterismo Venoso Central/efeitos adversos , Cateterismo Venoso Central/ética , Cateterismo Venoso Central/enfermagem , Cateteres de Demora/efeitos adversos , Cateteres de Demora/ética , Competência Clínica , Códigos de Ética , Falha de Equipamento , Feminino , Terapia por Infusões no Domicílio/ética , Terapia por Infusões no Domicílio/instrumentação , Terapia por Infusões no Domicílio/enfermagem , Humanos , Guias de Prática Clínica como Assunto , Ética Baseada em PrincípiosRESUMO
The need to obtain a patient's consent for his health care is a principle set out in the Italian Constitution, which safeguards a person's right to health. Articles 13 and 32.2 confirm a person's freedom and the right to make free decisions about one's medical treatment. Nobody must be obliged to any medical procedure, unless as by law enacted. The obligation to inform patients is important during the contractual phase: consent is an essential element in the professional contract governing the relationship between a physician and a patient. The former is obligated to inform the latter about his medical intervention clearly and precisely, to enable the patient to decide freely whether to undergo a medical procedure. At this point, it is also essential to obtain a patient's consent for those treatments that although they are carried out in a correct and careful way, could damage a person's physical integrity. The failure to obtain consent could give rise to a burden of responsibility on behalf of the clinician. A central venous catheterization in hemodialysis (HD) is a common procedure performed during routine nephrological treatments. Our signed informed consent form prior to introducing a central venous catheter is thought to satisfy requirements provided for in current regulations to give correct information.