Hemodialysis
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
Acute onset of severe neurological symptoms is linked to hemodialysis treatment with aged dialyzers, according to investigators from FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A study published in the April 26 Journal of the American Medical Association shows that seven patients at one hospital developed decreased vision, hearing, conjunctivitis and headache 7-24 hours after hemodialysis on machines that contained aged cellulose acetate membranes of dialyzers, which allowed cellulose acetate degradation products to enter the blood. Dialysis centers have been advised to rotate their stocks of dialyzers, and manufacturers are being asked by FDA to place a date of manufacture on each device. The agency is working with industry to develop standards on the shelf-life of dialyzers to address the problem