Kidney Dialysis Errors

Various studies indicate that over 20 million adults over the age of 20 suffer from protracted kidney diseases.

In the year 2001, United States had well over 392,023 patients being treated for End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). Kidney diseases kill 14 people out of every 100,000 and is the ninth leading cause of death in America. According to the American society of Nephrology, Medicare spends approximately 14 billion dollars every year in support and treatment of ESRD. Worse still, hundreds of Americans undergo dialysis treatments annually while over one hundred thousand people undergo kidney transplants.

As stated earlier, may Americans undergo treatment for End-Stage Renal Disease or kidney failure. To put this in perspective, approximately 240,000 of these are under dialysis while another 100,000 or so have undergone successful kidney transplants. More than 67,000 people succumb to kidney failures every year.

Kidney Dialysis Treatment

Most patients of kidney diseases have to undergo dialysis. Dialysis, which acts as an artificial kidney has two forms: peritoneal and haemodialysis. Haemodialysis is the most common with up to 90% of the patients opting for it. One recent study suggested that at least 2,500 people die due to seeking kidney treatment from for-profit dialysis centers.

In November 2003, the General Accountability Office conducted a research study and found that several dialysis facilities did not meet the government’s required standards for valuable care. Medicare also determined in the year 2000 that more than 20% of the patients in 512 dialysis centers were receiving insufficient dialysis treatment. They further found out that more than 20% of the patients in 1,700 facilities received scanty care for anemia.

Death During Dialysis Treatment

Many deaths occur due to negligence during dialysis treatment every year. Patients should be well aware of the inherent risks associated with renal failure treatment. This helps protect patients because with proper information they can devise ways of minimizing such risks.

Medication faults, patient falls, dialyzer errors, excess blood loss, vascular access related issues and prolonged bleeding are some of the dialysis medical malpractice. Others include dialysis machine leaks, improper responses to machine alarms, malfunctioning machine alarms, and dialysate errors. These are just a few of the potential errors that may result in serious injury and even death.

If you are receiving dialysis treatment, you should familiarize yourself with the processes at your clinic. This will help you determine whether you will receive proper care or not. If you or someone close to you has got injured due to improper dialysis treatment, you should not hesitate to contact a dialysis malpractice lawyer at our St. Louis Law Firm.

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photo credit | Wikimedia Commons – User: YassineMrabet