U.S. races to stock up on dialysis supplies as kidney failure ravages virus patients

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U.S. races to stock up on dialysis supplies as kidney failure ravages virus patients
Approximately 20 percent of coronavirus patients in intensive care around the city need the kidney treatment, often for weeks.
By SARAH OWERMOHLE and AMANDA EISENBERG
04/15/2020 07:55 PM EDT


Hospitals in New York City are running out of dialysis fluids as thousands of coronavirus patients develop kidney failure, an unexpected development that could presage the next critical supply shortage nationwide.

Approximately 20 percent of coronavirus patients in intensive care around the city need the kidney treatment, often for weeks, a development that many providers did not see coming. FEMA held a call Monday with FDA and CMS to discuss the possibility of issuing emergency use authorizations to import more dialysis fluids, according to a document obtained by POLITICO.

But shortages are already testing hospitals in New York, where more than 202,000 people have become infected and almost 11,000 have died. The same day that federal regulators met, major New York hospital systems convened to discuss the emerging dialysis crisis. Some are struggling with dire shortfalls of dialysis fluids and trained nursing staff, and have reached out directly to manufacturers for help, according to two people on the call.

Together, the hospitals — including NYC Health + Hospitals, Northwell Health, NYU Langone, Mount Sinai and NewYork-Presbyterian — are treating tens of thousands of coronavirus patients in the city.

Those who need dialysis are also often on ventilators, but require the kidney treatment for days or even weeks after they are weaned off the breathing machines. Without dialysis, damaged kidneys cannot remove enough fluid and toxins from the body and patients essentially drown. The kidney problems caused by the coronavirus are exacerbated in those who require ventilator treatment, which itself can cause fluid to build up in the lungs.

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https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/15/dialysis-kidney-coronavirus-188840