Due to the rapid spread of the new coronavirus infection, the number of hospital beds for patients undergoing artificial dialysis due to severe kidney disease, etc. has become tight, and about 170 patients cannot be hospitalized in Tokyo. I found out from the interview.
Some people are unable to go to hospitals and receive dialysis because of the infection, and some people are getting sick, so a doctor at the society said, ``We want local dialysis clinics to cooperate with infected patients to continue dialysis.'' I'm here.
According to a joint committee formed by the Japan Dialysis Physicians Association and the Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy, the number of dialysis patients infected with the new coronavirus has increased sharply since around the middle of last month, with 650 in the week until the 11th of this month, and by the 18th. It is 599 people.
Since dialysis patients are more likely to become seriously ill if infected, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has asked prefectures to hospitalize them in principle.
Of these, in Tokyo, about 130 dedicated beds have been filled by the middle of last month, and there are about 170 patients who cannot be hospitalized at this time.
The joint committee is requesting cooperation from local dialysis clinics to continue dialysis for mild or asymptomatic people because some patients are sick because they are infected and cannot receive dialysis at the hospital.
Kan Kikuchi, chairman of the joint committee, said, "Having local clinics continue to provide dialysis for mildly ill patients will help reduce the burden on other medical institutions, so I would like your cooperation in continuing dialysis." I'm here.
Some patients are unable to receive dialysis and their health deteriorates
In this "7th wave", some patients are unable to receive artificial dialysis at regular intervals because they are infected with the new coronavirus, and their physical condition deteriorates.
"Metropolitan Okubo Hospital" in Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo has eight beds for dialysis patients infected with the new coronavirus, but the beds were full from the end of last month to the beginning of this month. .
Even now, elderly patients who need assistance and patients with relatively severe symptoms of corona such as pneumonia are hospitalized. I am undergoing dialysis during this period.
According to this hospital, several patients were urgently transported because they were infected with the new corona and could not receive dialysis at the facility they usually go to, and their breathing condition worsened due to the dialysis interval being longer than usual. It means that there was
Sachiko Wakai, deputy director of the hospital, said, ``If there is a gap between dialysis, water will accumulate in the lungs, making it painful and causing arrhythmia, which can be life-threatening. I would like to strengthen cooperation with local dialysis facilities so that they can receive it."
Some clinics accept dialysis patients at night
While it is becoming difficult to hospitalize dialysis patients infected with the new corona, clinics in Tokyo accept dialysis patients who cannot be hospitalized at night when there are no general patients, and continue dialysis.
At the "Nephrology Clinic Setagaya" in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, the number of patients who were infected with corona increased rapidly in the "7th wave" since last month.
Before that, in the "sixth wave", even if a dialysis patient was infected, it was possible to be hospitalized in another hospital, but now it is difficult to be hospitalized, so infected people are separated from general patients. We are doing dialysis three times a week only.
Two private rooms in one corner of the facility are used for infected dialysis patients and are only used at night when there are no other patients around to reduce the risk of nosocomial infections.
On the night of the 16th, when I interviewed, two patients infected with Corona visited by taxi arranged by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and received artificial dialysis treatment.
Then, the doctor at the clinic talked to the patient on the phone to hear the progress of corona symptoms such as fever and respiratory condition, and to check the information necessary for dialysis management, such as weight gain and loss.
Shinya Suganuma, director of the clinic, said, "Night dialysis takes a lot of time, so it's a big burden, but I'm dealing with it because I think it's a critical moment. There's a lot of patients, so I want them to calm down quickly." .
Dialysis patients who are more likely to become seriously ill due to infection, and the mortality rate is also high
Patients undergoing artificial dialysis are said to be more likely to become seriously ill if infected with the new coronavirus, and the risk of death is also high.
According to a survey by a joint committee made up of the Japan Dialysis Physicians Association and others, Omicron stocks have expanded, and of the 6877 hemodialysis patients infected with the new corona from January 1 to this month, at least at least 152 people, mortality rate is 2.21%.
The mortality rate by age group is
▽ 0.51% for those under 30 ,
▽ 0.69% for those in their 40s, ▽
0.74% for those in their 50s , ▽
1.51% for those in their 60s, ▽
2.62% for those in their 70s, and
▽ 80s .
The above is 4.55%, and it is higher as the age goes up.
According to NHK's tally, the mortality rate for all people infected at the same time is about 0.12%, and according to the joint committee, hemodialysis patients are elderly and many have underlying diseases, so the mortality rate is high. It means that
Kan Kikuchi, chairman of the joint committee, said, ``Many patients undergoing dialysis have underlying diseases such as kidney disease and high blood pressure, and there have been cases of people in their 50s or younger dying. I would like you to take proper infection control measures, and the third and fourth vaccinations are effective in preventing aggravation and death, so I would like you to get vaccinated as soon as possible."