NHS facing desperate shortage of kidney machines as up to one in three of the sickest coronavirus patients need dialysis
THE NHS faces a shortage of kidney machines — with up to one in three of the sickest coronavirus patients needing dialysis.
One leading medic warned hospitals are currently managing by “the skin of their teeth”.
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Another said machines, designed to treat one patient at a time, had to be shared between two, risking breakdowns and a shortage of disposable kit.
Officials have prioritised acquiring ventilators to support the sickest Covid-19 victims.
But doctors warn a lack of dialysis kit is hampering efforts to save lives.
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Intensive care consultant Dr Ron Daniels said: “We are seeing one in three patients who are being ventilated with Covid-19 also needing kidney support.
“That’s putting real pressure on the kidney machines.
“We have no spares lying around, so we are seeing shortages.
“To manage, one patient is placed on them one day and a second the next."
One in five intensive care patients needed dialysis.
Paul Hunter, Professor in Medicine at the University of East Anglia, said 80 per cent of those getting kidney support failed to pull through.
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A spokesperson for the charity Kidney Care UK has said it is "extremely concerned" over a shortage of supplies, adding that over 28 per cent of patients who end up on a ventilator will develop acute kidney injury (AKI).
Fiona Loud, policy director at the charity, said: "This shortage must be treated as an exceptionally urgent NHS priority.
“No patients in ICUs should be put at risk due to a shortage of supplies and any proposed solution must not impact detrimentally on the care and treatment provided to existing long term kidney patients or their recommended dialysis treatment."
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