Failure to Timely Remove Dialysis Site Bandage
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency occurred when a resident with end stage renal disease, who required regular dialysis treatments, was found to have a bandage left on their dialysis access site for more than four hours after returning from dialysis. The resident was admitted with a diagnosis of irreversible kidney failure and had physician orders for dialysis three times a week. On the morning following a dialysis session, a bandage was observed on the resident's left arm by both an LVN and the DON. Upon review, it was confirmed that the bandage had been in place since the previous day's dialysis treatment. Facility records, including the Facility/Dialysis Center Nursing Communication Record and the facility's inservice lesson plan, indicated that post-dialysis care required bandages to be removed within three to four hours after treatment. The DON acknowledged that the bandage should have been removed within this timeframe, but it remained on the resident's arm for longer, contrary to facility policy and best practices for post-dialysis care.