Natural disasters and dialysis care in the Asia‐Pacific

Abstract

The impact of natural disasters on the provision of dialysis services has received increased attention in the last decade following Hurricane Katrina devastating New Orleans in 2005. The Asia-Pacific is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes, tsunami, typhoons (also known as cyclones and hurricanes) or storms and flooding. These events can seriously interrupt provision of haemodialysis with adverse effects for patients including missed dialysis, increased hospitalization and post-traumatic stress disorder. Furthermore, haemodialysis patients may need to relocate and experience prolonged periods of displacement from family and social supports. In contrast to haemodialysis, most literature suggests peritoneal dialysis in a disaster situation is more easily managed and supported. It has become apparent that dialysis units and patients should be prepared for a disaster event and that appropriate planning will result in reduced confusion and adverse outcomes should a disaster occur. Numerous resources are now available to guide dialysis units, patients and staff in preparation for a possible disaster. This article will examine the disaster experiences of dialysis units in the Asia-Pacific, the impact on patients and staff, methods employed to manage during the disaster and suggested plans for reducing the impact of future disasters.

Which clinical conditions are most suitable for induction of automated peritoneal dialysis?

“…On the other hand, manufacturer's instructions for handling of cyclers may be complicated compared with CAPD. Additionally, if a natural disaster occurs and lifelines including electricity are stopped, CAPD can work more easily than hemodialysis [75,76]. When the great East Japan earthquake happened and the delivery of both electrical supply and water supply stopped, PD patients could still continue CAPD therapy [77].…”

Disaster preparedness for earthquakes in hemodialysis units in Gyeongju and Pohang, South Korea

“…HD unit, Hemodialysis unit ; RDRTF, Renal Disaster Relief Task Force; Uniform Resource Locator, URL Adapted from the article of Gray et al (Nephrology [Carlton] 2015;20:873–880) [6] with permission.…”

“…Natural disasters are steadily increasing worldwide [5], and 81.5% of the global casualties in 2012 occurred in the Asia-Pacific region, mainly due to the increasing number of earthquakes [6]. This region suffered from the 1995 Kobe earthquake in Japan [7], 1999 Turkey Marmara earthquake [8], 2005 Pakistan Kashmir earthquake [6,9], and 2011 East Japan earthquake [10–13]. These natural disasters are catastrophic to patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who need dialysis (Table 1 [6–9,13– 16,32]).…”

“…This region suffered from the 1995 Kobe earthquake in Japan [7], 1999 Turkey Marmara earthquake [8], 2005 Pakistan Kashmir earthquake [6,9], and 2011 East Japan earthquake [10–13]. These natural disasters are catastrophic to patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who need dialysis (Table 1 [6–9,13– 16,32]). This is especially important in countries with an aging population and a higher rate of hemodialysis than peritoneal dialysis [5,6,12,13].…”

“…These natural disasters are catastrophic to patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who need dialysis (Table 1 [6–9,13– 16,32]). This is especially important in countries with an aging population and a higher rate of hemodialysis than peritoneal dialysis [5,6,12,13]. Earthquakes could destroy the infrastructure necessary for dialysis, including social facilities and means of transportation [1].…”