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    Dialysis Complications

    Dialysis Complications is a topic covered in the 5-Minute Emergency Consult.

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    Basics

    Description

    Dialysis complications may be:
    • Vascular access related (infection, bleeding)
    • Nonvascular access related (hypotension, hyperkalemia)
    • Peritoneal (abdominal pain, infection)

    Etiology

    • Vascular access related:
      • Infections:
        • Infections (largely access related or peritonitis) are a major cause of death in dialysis patients.
        • Often caused by Staphylococcus aureus
        • Can present with signs of localized infection or systemic sepsis
        • Can also present with minimal findings
      • Thrombosis or stenosis:
        • Often presents with loss of bruit or thrill over access site
        • Must be addressed quickly (within 24 hr) to avoid loss of access site
      • Bleeding:
        • Can be life-threatening
        • Aneurysm
    • Nonvascular access related:
      • Hypotension:
        • Most common complication of hemodialysis
        • After dialysis: Often owing to acute decrease in circulating blood volume
        • During dialysis: Hypovolemia (more commonly) or onset of cardiac tamponade owing to compensated effusion suddenly becoming symptomatic after correction of volume overload
        • MI, sepsis, dysrhythmias, hypoxia
        • Hemorrhage secondary to anticoagulation, platelet dysfunction of renal failure
      • Shortness of breath:
        • Volume overload
        • Development of dyspnea during dialysis owing to tamponade, pericardial effusion, hemorrhage, anaphylaxis, pulmonary embolism, air embolism
      • Chest pain:
        • Ischemic:
          • Dialysis patients are often at high risk for having atherosclerotic disease
          • Dialysis is an acute physiologic stressor with transient hypotension and hypoxemia that increases myocardial oxygen demand.
        • Pleuritic:
          • Pericarditis, pulmonary embolism
      • Neurologic dysfunction: Disequilibrium syndrome:
        • Rapid decrease in serum osmolality during dialysis leaves brain in comparatively hyperosmolar state.
    • Peritoneal:
      • Peritonitis:
        • Owing to contamination of peritoneal dialysate or tubing during exchange
        • S. aureus or Staphylococcus epidermidis (70%)
      • Perforated viscus with abdominal pain that can be severe, fever, brown or fecal material in effluent, or localized tenderness
      • Fibrinous blockage of catheter resulting from infection or inflammation

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    Citation

    * When formatting your citation, note that all book, journal, and database titles should be italicized* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
    TY - ELEC T1 - Dialysis Complications ID - 307541 ED - Barkin,Adam Z, ED - Barkin,Roger M, ED - Hayden,Stephen R, ED - Rosen,Peter, ED - Schaider,Jeffrey J, ED - Shayne,Philip, ED - Wolfe,Richard E, BT - 5-Minute Emergency Consult UR - https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307541/all/Dialysis_Complications PB - Lippincott Williams & Wilkins ET - 5 DB - Emergency Central DP - Unbound Medicine ER -