The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published an article this week that investigates the cause of an incident that occurred in September of 1996 at an Alabama hospital in which seven hemodialysis patients experienced injuries resulting in diminished vision and hearing. The report confirms that these injuries were due to exposure to aged cellulose acetate dialyzer membranes. The dialyzers involved in the incident were more than eleven years old and the cellulose acetate membranes/fibers had chemically degraded and broken down.

The JAMA report has been picked up by the general press. Some writers are unaware that the dialyzers are disposable products used with kidney machines and are publishing erroneous and confusing headlines, such as " Old kidney machines pose health risk".

The use of old dialyzers has long been suspected as the cause of these injuries. Due to this event, the CDC issued a recommendation that dialysis facilities should rotate their stock and use a "first in, first out" practices. Dialyzers are also now routinely stamped with a manufacturing or expiration date.



[This message has been edited by Gary Peterson (edited 04-26-2000).]