A study published Feb. 6 in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found that, between 2017–2020, individuals receiving dialysis treatment for end-stage kidney disease were 100 times more likely to experience a Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bloodstream infection than those not on dialysis.
Data from the 2020 National Healthcare Safety Network and the 2017–2020 Emerging Infections Program show Black and Hispanic patients undergoing dialysis treatments had an increased risk of S. Aureus bloodstream infection compared with their white counterparts.
While vascular access type was the risk factor most strongly associated with infections, ethnicity also plays a role.
Hispanic ethnicity was independently associated with a 40 percent higher risk of infection. The agency says Hispanic patients face additional challenges that could lead to their increased infection risk, including lack of access to preventive care and lack of patient education about treatment options for end-stage kidney disease.
Notably, bloodstream infections in all dialysis patients have decreased since 2014. The CDC urges health care providers to mitigate barriers to lower-risk vascular access placement and implement established best practices to prevent bloodstream infections.
Contact Senior Director of Policy Erin O’Malley at eomalley@essentialhospitals.org or 202.585.0127 with question
