According to a recent study that involved nearly 250,000 patients in veteran’s hospitals, individuals with a history of chronic kidney disease were almost 20 per cent more likely to have potentially preventable complications of surgical or medical care. The increased risk was related to the severity of kidney disease that was measured by a pre-admission glomerular filtration rate. What the study shows is that chronic kidney disease is an important risk factor for complications such as:
* Problems related to anesthesia
* Postoperative sepsis
* Postoperative respiratory failure
* Postoperative myocardial infarction
In addition, patients with chronic renal failure had a higher mortality rate even with low mortality conditions.
As a patient safety indicator, an awareness of the presence of chronic renal failure contributes significantly to assuring quality patient care. Want to learn more? Check out RN.com’s course End-Stage Renal Failure: Keeping the Kidneys Online.