Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a lasting impact on healthcare in many Western countries. It has been proven that the infection damages the vasculature of affected patients (both microvascular and macrovascular damage). In this study, we compared the effectiveness of the dialysis procedure by examining the parameters of the Urea Reduction Ratio (URR) and Kt/V in patients before and after infection with COVID-19.
Materials and Methods: The study included 50 patients with end-stage renal disease undergoing chronic hemodialysis therapy who had also experienced COVID-19 infection. Among them, 29 were men and 21 were women, with an average age of 64 years. Of the 49 patients, 22 had an arteriovenous fistula, 24 had a permanent central venous catheter for hemodialysis, and 2 had a temporary central venous catheter. All patients were examined under the same conditions before and after COVID-19 infection (equal procedure duration, identical filters, and vascular access).
Results: The values of the Urea Reduction Ratio (URR) and Kt/V were measured in patients before and after experiencing COVID-19 infection. The study did not find a significant difference in the effectiveness of hemodialysis before and after COVID-19 among the cohort of examined patients.
Conclusion: Although macrovascular damage has been described in the literature in cases of COVID-19 infection, no significant difference in the quality of vascular access was observed in the studied population.
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