Merits and limitations of continuous blood volume monitoring during haemodialysis. Summary of the EDTNA/ERCA Journal Club discussion: Winter 2005.

Quality assurance for dialysis-quality water and dialysis fluid. Guidelines for the control of chlorine and chloramine in water for haemodialysis using activated carbon filtration.

Hand decontamination: what interventions improve compliance?

BACKGROUND Haemodialysis units have traditionally been classified as high-risk areas in relation to infection control. Hand decontamination is the fundamental infection control practice, although this is not always performed optimally Deficiencies in the technique, frequency and appropriateness of this vital practice are frequently reported in health care journals. A literature search was carri...

A case study--initiation of haemodialysis.

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is a chronic failure of normal kidney function, which is precipitated by a number of factors, such as diabetes, pyelonephritis, hypertension, and polycystic kidney disease (1). The loss of kidney function is gradual, and many patients do not have any symptoms until the end-stage of the disease. Killingworth and Van Den Akker (2) point out that people undergoing ha...

Planning for success.

Being a nurse today and striving for 100% job satisfaction while ensuring a patient's well-being is not an easy task in the current changing and challenging environment. However, careful planning might be the key to success. This article focuses on 'How to Plan' and gives some practical tips for nurses in their daily work. The article then offers three case stories of renal units that have deve...

Venous needle dislodgement: how to minimise the risks.

Although haemodialysis (HD) has become a routine treatment, adverse side effects, and occasionally life threatening clinical complications, still happen. Venous needle dislodgment (VND) is one of the most serious accidents that can occur during HD. If the blood pump is not stopped, either by activation of the protective system of the dialysis machine or manually, the patient can bleed to death ...