Division of Renal Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, 101 Woodruff Circle, WMB 3300, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
Renal Division, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
BMC Nephrol. 2021 Mar 6;22(1):81. doi: 10.1186/s12882-021-02281-6.
Emory Dialysis serves an urban and predominantly African American population at its four outpatient dialysis facilities. We describe COVID-19 infection control measures implemented and clinical characteristics of patients with COVID-19 in the Emory Dialysis facilities.
Implementation of COVID-19 infection procedures commenced in February 2020. Subsequently, COVID-19 preparedness assessments were conducted at each facility. Patients with COVID-19 from March 1-May 31, 2020 were included; with a follow-up period spanning March-June 30, 2020. Percentages of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were calculated, and characteristics of COVID-19 patients were summarized as medians or percentage. Baseline characteristics of all patients receiving care at Emory Dialysis (i.e. Emory general dialysis population) were presented as medians and percentages.
Of 751 dialysis patients, 23 (3.1%) were diagnosed with COVID-19. The median age was 67.0 years and 13 patients (56.6%) were female. Eleven patients (47.8%) were residents of nursing homes. Nineteen patients (82.6%) required hospitalization and 6 patients (26.1%) died; the average number of days from a positive SARS-CoV-2 (COVID) test to death was 16.8 days (range 1-34). Two patients dialyzing at adjacent dialysis stations and a dialysis staff who cared for them, were diagnosed with COVID-19 in a time frame that may suggest transmission in the dialysis facility. In response, universal masking in the facility was implemented (prior to national guidelines recommending universal masking), infection control audits and re-trainings of PPE were also done to bolster infection control practices.
We successfully implemented recommended COVID-19 infection control measures aimed at mitigating the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Most of the patients with COVID-19 required hospitalizations. Dialysis facilities should remain vigilant and monitor for possible transmission of COVID-19 in the facility.
埃默里透析中心（Emory Dialysis）在其四家门诊透析中心为城市和以非裔美国人为主的人群提供服务。我们描述了埃默里透析中心实施的 COVID-19 感染控制措施以及在这些透析中心中 COVID-19 患者的临床特征。
2020 年 2 月开始实施 COVID-19 感染程序。随后，对每个设施进行了 COVID-19 准备情况评估。纳入 2020 年 3 月 1 日至 5 月 31 日期间确诊的 COVID-19 患者，并在 2020 年 3 月至 6 月 30 日期间进行了随访。计算了确诊 COVID-19 的患者百分比，并总结了 COVID-19 患者的特征，包括中位数或百分比。还呈现了在埃默里透析中心接受治疗的所有患者（即埃默里普通透析患者群体）的基线特征，包括中位数和百分比。
在 751 名透析患者中，有 23 名（3.1%）被诊断患有 COVID-19。中位年龄为 67.0 岁，有 13 名患者（56.6%）为女性。11 名患者（47.8%）为养老院居民。19 名患者（82.6%）需要住院治疗，6 名患者（26.1%）死亡；从 SARS-CoV-2（COVID）检测阳性到死亡的平均天数为 16.8 天（范围 1-34）。两名在相邻透析站透析的患者和一名照顾他们的透析工作人员在可能提示在透析中心传播的时间范围内被诊断患有 COVID-19。作为回应，在该设施中实施了普遍佩戴口罩（在全国范围内建议普遍佩戴口罩之前），还进行了感染控制审计和重新培训个人防护设备（PPE），以加强感染控制措施。
我们成功实施了推荐的 COVID-19 感染控制措施，旨在减轻 SARS-CoV-2 的传播。大多数 COVID-19 患者需要住院治疗。透析中心应保持警惕，并监测设施中 COVID-19 的可能传播。
