Disaster Preparedness for Dialysis Patients

[摘要] Locally and federally declared disasters and emergencies ranged from severe weather events across the nation to man made chemical spills that disrupted dialysis services temporarily throughout the year with seemingly more episodes in the past decade. Using an all-hazards disaster planning approach, the effects on dialysis patients can be mitigated or prevented. The events of hurricane Katrina followed by Hurricane Rita in 2005 highlighted the vulnerability of the poor and elderly and of patients with chronic diseases, such as patients who have chronic kidney disease and are on dialysis (1,2). The massive devastation of hurricane Katrina and the subsequent flooding, resulting in temporary or permanent closing of dialysis units in the New Orleans metropolitan area and coastal Mississippi, has shaped future disaster preparedness across the nation. Dialysis patients were evacuated to areas across the nation and subsequently received dialysis treatments in both acute care units in hospitals and chronic units as they remained evacuated (1–3). Lessons learned from the experiences of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, with the massive disruption of the health care infrastructure, has led to systemic changes in the dialysis community for emergency preparedness and among health care providers overall (1,4,5).

[学科分类] 泌尿医学

[关键词] Bone marrow necrosis;Sickle cell disease;Hyperhemolysis syndrome