Safety of bedside placement of tunneled dialysis catheter in COVID-19 patients

Abstract

COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU have high incidence of AKI requiring prolonged renal replacement therapy and often necessitate the placement of a tunneled dialysis catheter (TDC). We describe our experience with two cases of COVID-19 patients who underwent successful bedside placement of TDC under ultrasound guidance using anatomical landmarks without fluoroscopy guidance. Tunneled dialysis catheter placement under direct fluoroscopy remains the standard of care; but in well selected patients, placement of tunneled dialysis catheter at the bedside using anatomic landmarks without fluoroscopy can be safely and successfully performed without compromising the quality of care and avoid transfer of COVID-19 infected patients outside the ICU.

Keywords: COVID-19; Catheters; dialysis; dialysis access; intensive care; ultrasonography - Doppler evaluation.