CDC Vital Signs Report: Preventing BSI in Dialysis Patients
A report from the CDC, “Health Disparities in Hemodialysis-Associated Staphylococcus aureus Bloodstream Infections – United States, 2017 – 2020,” noted that while vascular access type was the major risk factor for hemodialysis-associated S. aureus bloodstream infections (BSI), race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic factors also affected infection rates and distribution.
More than 800,000 adults in the U.S. live with end-stage kidney disease and most receive dialysis treatments. But adults on dialysis were 100 times more likely to have a staph bloodstream infections than adults not on dialysis. Vascular access through fistula or graft caused much lower risk of infection than central venous catheter. Blacks and Hispanics experienced higher rates of staph BSI than whites, and socioeconomic factors such as poverty, household crowding, and limited education also increased BSI risk.
The CDC recommends that preventing infections among patients receiving dialysis requires a broad and equitable approach to prevention and care of kidney disease for people from all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups, including:
- Encouraging practices that are known to prevent and slow the progression of chronic kidney disease.
- Increasing the use of vascular access types that are proven to be lower risk for infections, such as fistulas and grafts, for people starting and currently on dialysis.
- Continuing to apply proven practices to prevent and control infections in all U.S. dialysis facilities.