Infection Control News

After considering the ways in which transplant recipients have responded to similar viruses in the past, researchers contended that COVID-19 may induce “severe consequences” in recipients, while also placing their health care teams and family members at risk.

The American Nephrology Nurses Association has recently launched an online tool that consists of an interactive map designed to ensure that the areas of greatest need have an adequate number of nephrology nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The artificial intelligence-enabled clinical diagnostic for kidney disease, known as KidneyIntelX, will be used in a study to determine its predictive ability to assess the risk of adverse kidney events in patients diagnosed with COVID-19, according to a press release from RenalytixAI.

Two of the largest manufacturers of products for patients with kidney-related complications, Fresenius Medical Care North America and Baxter International Inc., have responded to the shortage of dialysis machines and supplies that is affecting hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, temporarily reducing the number of dialysis treatments in an outpatient setting could help limit potential exposure to the virus for patients and staff and save personal preventive equipment, suggest Stanford University nephrologist Timothy W. Meyer, MD, and colleagues.

The National Kidney Foundation is investigating decisions by some health systems to use state emergency preparedness policies to create protocols that place patients on dialysis who are diagnosed with COVID-19 toward the bottom of the list of priorities for ventilators if these machines become in short supply.

Data released by Kidney Community Emergency Response as of April 8 shows 305 patients on dialysis in the United States have died from COVID-19.

In the day-to-day battle of COVID-19, telehealth has emerged as an unlikely hero. However, the details of telehealth implementation and impact on staff and patients alike are still to be determined and are particularly important with respect to the care of nephrology patients.

The kidney care community must change the way dialysis is provided to most patients with ESKD before the next pandemic arrives, two nephrologists wrote in a recently published editorial.

HHS released an updated interim final rule on March 30 that will reimburse nephrologists and physician practice staff for all telehealth visits for patients in dialysis clinics and at home. Visits with patients via telephone are also now reimbursed, with payment based on the length of the call.