Sensing Savvy

(Gleaned from the 2018 USRDS Annual Data Report: Volume 1, Chapter 7: www.usrds.org)

Persons with chronic kidney disease (CKD), but not end-stage renal disease (ESRD) often have extensive healthcare needs and frequently face coexisting illnesses. Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in managed care grew from 13 percent in 2004 to 33 percent in 2017. In March 2017, 19 million individuals were enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan.

Life-threatening bleeds (LTB) from arteriovenous fistulas or grafts are significant bleeds which are not stopped by application of a normal amount of pressure as is commonly used to stop bleeding after dialysis needle removal. In many cases they occur spontaneously at home between dialysis sessions, away from the clinic or caregiving team. Although access-related LTBs are not common, they can result in the loss of the patient’s access and even be fatal.