The Hidden Inequities of Dialysis-related Infections

Stories of Care

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Shannon Novosad, Team Lead of the Dialysis Safety Team at the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She and her colleagues recently published data in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on rates of Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections in dialysis patients. They found that, in general, dialysis patients are 100 times more likely than other patients to get Staph aureus bloodstream infections. They also found that despite a lower rate of central venous catheter use, Hispanic dialysis patients had the highest risk of developing infection. Race, ethnicity and socioeconomic factors also affected infection rates and distribution. Dr. Novosad joins us to discuss the details of this report and its implication for patients and physicians.