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Hepatitis B and Hemodialysis: The Impact of Universal Precautions in Preventing the Transmission of Bloodborne Viruses

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Aloys C.M. Kroes*
Affiliation:
Department of Virology, University Hospital Dijkzigt, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Eric F.H. van Bommel
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine I, Division of Nephrology, University Hospital Dijkzigt, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Jan A.J.W. Kluytmans
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Microbiology, University Hospital Dijkzigt, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Willem Weimar
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine I, Division of Nephrology, University Hospital Dijkzigt, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
*
Department of Virology, E4-P, Leiden University Hospital, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands; e-mail, [email protected]

Abstract

A detailed description is presented of the hemodialysis treatment for 6 weeks of a patient strongly positive for hepatitis B virus ([HBV], hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis B e antigen, HBV DNA), which was performed without any special precautions. All 59 patients potentially exposed to the HBV-positive patient, of whom 29 appeared fully unprotected by antibody, were followed for at least 9 months but remained negative. This illustrates the feasibility of following Universal Precautions instead of using exceptional procedures for one single agent

Type
Concise Communications
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 1998

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