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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

How to Prevent Blood Infection While on Dialysis

How to Prevent Blood Infection While on Dialysis

Learn how dialysis can raise your risk of blood infections, who is most affected, and what can be done to lower risks and improve outcomes.


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Dialysis, a process in which a person’s blood is directed into a machine that filters out toxins and wastes then returns the blood to the person’s body, is the most common treatment for people with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). For a person whose kidneys no longer function, dialysis can prolong life by several years. It is not, however, without its own risks, most notably infection. Learn how dialysis can lead to infection, who is most at risk, and what can be done about it.*

How can dialysis lead to infection?

Regardless of whether you receive hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis, the procedure requires having to frequently access blood vessels through needles and catheters (thin, flexible tubes). Bacteria and other germs have many opportunities to enter your bloodstream and cause infections that can result in life-threatening sepsis

Many germs naturally live on our skin. Others can be transported to the needles and tubes, or can grow on the equipment if it’s not properly cleaned. The most common group of germs that cause blood infections is Staphylococcus aureus, often abbreviated as ‘staph,’ which can be challenging to treat. 

Who is most at risk?

More than half of the 800,000 people in the U.S. with ESKD belong to ethnic or racial minority communities. More Black and Hispanic people on dialysis than White people on dialysis develop bloodstream infections. Staph-related bloodstream infections occur more often in:

  • Areas with higher poverty, 
  • Crowded households, and
  • Communities with lower education levels

All of these factors can impact individuals’ ability to access appropriate levels and quality of care.

What can be done to reduce infection risk?

The occurrence of bloodstream infections among dialysis patients has fallen significantly since 2014, largely due to widespread efforts to improve kidney disease prevention and care across diverse racial and ethnic groups, as well as people of varying socioeconomic status.

Some specific ways that providers can help reduce infection risk from dialysis in their patients include:

  • Using forms of vascular access that are proven to involve lower risk. The way in which your circulatory system is connected to the dialysis machine has a lot to do with your risk of infection. A fistula, for example, involves lower risk than either a graft or a central venous catheter.
  • Managing underlying causes of kidney disease and kidney failure. Diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease are interrelated, and all are strongly related to chronic kidney disease. Black and Hispanic people are at greater risk of developing these underlying health conditions than White people are in the U.S. Improving prevention measures and care can go far to prevent the need for dialysis, and improve outcomes.
  • Increasing racial and ethnic diversity in clinical trials. Black and Hispanic people are substantially underrepresented in clinical trials, resulting in a dangerous lack of knowledge regarding relevant risk factors and best practices for effective care.

Improving patient, caregiver, and technician training regarding infection prevention and control can also help keep dialysis patients safe both at dialysis centers and at home.

*Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023, February 6.) Preventing Bloodstream Infections in People on Dialysis.https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/dialysis-infections/index.html#:~ 

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