Tamil Nadu adopts single-use haemodialysis policy to improve patient safety

Tamil Nadu is acceptable to bash distant with reuse of dialysers for patients undergoing dialysis successful authorities hospitals. It is present adopting a “single-use haemodialysis policy” to heighten information of patients.

The adoption of single-use dialysis policy, according to elder doctors, marks a milestone successful the improvement of dialysis attraction successful the nationalist assemblage successful the State. Issuing orders past week, the T.N. Health Department asked each authorities aesculapian institutions to follow the single-use dialysis policy, implementing it wrong the existing bundle complaint of the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS).

Why the move

T. Balasubramaniyan, director, Institute of Nephrology, Madras Medical College and Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, said that dialysers, commonly referred to arsenic artificial kidneys, are thoroughly cleaned utilizing chemicals and reused aft 12 to 24 hours. However, determination is simply a hazard of residual chemic vulnerability to patients and imaginable cross-contamination. Outbreaks of Hepatitis B and C person besides occurred. It is for these reasons that galore countries and centres person moved to single-use dialysis to amended diligent safety.

According to information arsenic of 2025-2026, astir 90% of haemodialysis treatments successful the United States usage single-use dialysers, portion the fig is astir 85% successful Europe (excluding eastbound Europe), and 98% successful Australia and New Zealand. In India, reusable dialysers relationship for 70 to 80% of haemodialysis treatments successful the authorities sector. Very fewer States person adopted single-use haemodialysis argumentation successful India, helium said.

“Only States specified arsenic Telangana, Karnataka and Gujarat person introduced the single-use dialyser policy. In Chennai, a bulk of the firm hospitals person moved connected to single-use dialysers, and complaint accordingly. Last year, the Tamil Nadu authorities had sent a squad of doctors to Telangana to survey the argumentation and taxable a report. We, astatine Madras Medical College, sent a connection to the authorities outlining that arsenic per existent practices, reusing dialysers is nary longer safe, considering mediocre prime power measures. The dialyser ratio besides declines and patients basal the hazard of chemic vulnerability and transverse contamination,” Dr. Balasubramaniyan explained.

Single-use dialysers person the advantages of amended efficiency, bully diligent information and little hazard of infection, helium said.

Following champion practices

“Across the world, ample dialysis networks person progressively moved toward single-use dialysers, prioritising corruption control, consistency of dialysis dose, and safety,” said M. Edwin Fernando, prof and caput of department, nephrology, Government Stanley Medical College Hospital (SMCH).

Since 2014, SMCH has not been reusing humor tubings, and from January 2025, it started to usage single-use dialysers. “From August to now, we person observed that determination are nary seroconversions, and besides nary important summation successful biomedical discarded generated,” helium said.

Cost information trade-off

Dialyser reuse represents a cost–safety trade-off, Dr. Fernando said, adding: “Economic advantages indispensable beryllium balanced against corruption risk, chemic exposure, and reduced dialysis efficiency, which is wherefore modern signifier progressively favours single-use dialysers.”

Dr. Balasubramaniyan said that it is economically viable arsenic immense purchases are involved. With the authorities issuing indispensable orders, each consumables indispensable for dialysis volition beryllium purchased arsenic azygous bundle dialysis kits. This volition see the dialyser, AV line, AV needle, transducer protector and dressing kit.