Dialysis Treatments Continue Despite Limited Water Supply during Hurricane Harvey
Hurricane Harvey devastated East Texas, leaving many cities, hospitals and dialysis clinics without running water. Fortunately, for hospitals with power and access to the NxStage System One, they continued to deliver therapy to their Acute and ESKD patients. They were able to do this because the NxStage System One uses prepackaged fluids and doesn’t rely on the availability or purity of a public water supply. Using a prolonged, 6 – 12 hour intermittent kidney replacement therapy (PIKRT), ESKD patients can be treated in place of conventional hemodialysis. PIKRT can also be used on some acute patients that can tolerate a 6 – 12 hour therapy, when there isn’t enough equipment to treat patients on 24-hour CRRT.
In Beaumont Texas, during Hurricane Harvey, the situation was critical, but they didn’t have the NxStage System One. In partnership with DaVita Hospital Services Group, NxStage responded to their urgent need, providing several machines and supplies, brought in clinical educators, protocols were written and a boot-camp-style training session was organized. As a result, patients were treated and the plan was a success, continuing for a week until water was restored.
