Fresenius Medical Care offers tips on how dialysis patients can plan their treatment during winter season

Fresenius Medical Care North AmericaJan 7 2010

As winter brings freezing temperatures and blankets regions of the U.S. with snow, dialysis patients are especially vulnerable because they typically need treatment every two to three days, and any substantial delay can be life threatening. Power outages can disrupt their regular treatments, and snow and ice can make driving treacherous, preventing patients from getting treatment at dialysis facilities.

“If patients cannot get their regular treatment due to inclement weather situations, they should implement a backup plan they have developed with their dialysis care team.”

Fresenius Medical Care North America, operator of the nation’s leading network of dialysis facilities, encourages patients to be prepared for bad weather and offers the following advice this winter season:

• Keep your emergency phone numbers handy. When bad weather threatens, contact your local facility and follow instructions they may provide. Fresenius Medical Care offers a patient hotline at 1 (800) 626-1297, which is staffed by customer service specialists 24 hours a day who can provide locations and contact numbers for alternate facilities, if necessary.
• Have a disaster plan. Talk to your doctor, dialysis care team and family about your disaster plan — what you should do and where you should go if a disaster strikes. Keep track of local weather forecasts.
• Keep proper emergency supplies on hand. Have ready access to a first-aid kit, flashlight (with extra batteries), blankets, battery-powered radio, cell phone, non-electric can opener and any necessary medications.
• Make sure you have a ride. If you are an in-center patient, arrange for backup transportation to the clinic with a friend, neighbor or family member.
• Plan for power outages. If you are a home dialysis patient and you lose power, follow the directions given to you by the home training staff for continuing dialysis in an emergency.
• Adjust your insulin. If you are diabetic, ask your doctor how to adjust your insulin dosage during winter storm emergencies.

“Dialysis patients need treatment on a regular basis, so severe weather can be a matter of life or death for them,” said Larry Park, vice president of corporate health, safety, environmental affairs, engineering, security and risk management at Fresenius Medical Care. “If patients cannot get their regular treatment due to inclement weather situations, they should implement a backup plan they have developed with their dialysis care team.”

All Fresenius Medical Care facilities share the company’s UltraCare^® mission of delivering excellent, patient-centered care through innovative programs, the latest technology, continuous quality improvement and a focus on superior customer service.

Dialysis is a life-sustaining process that cleans waste products from the blood, removes extra fluids, and controls the body’s chemistry when a person’s kidneys fail. Dialysis patients typically require treatment on an ongoing basis unless they receive a kidney transplant.