#2914 Impact of COVID-19 on the mortality of hemodialysis patients

Abstract Background and Aims Hemodialysis patients belong to the category of immunocompromised patients with numerous comorbidities. Infection with the SARS˗CoV˗2 virus (COVID-19) in this group of patients had a significantly higher mortality compared to the general population. During the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 30%–35% of dialysis patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 had a fatal outcome. Method The study included chronic hemodialysis patients at the Zvezdara University Clinical Center, in order to determine the impact of COVID-19 on mortality. Mortality in patients during two years before the COVID-19 pandemic (2018/2019) and two years during the pandemic (2020/2021) was compared. The existence of differences during these two periods was also examined, in relation to age, the presence of comorbidities and the length of dialysis treatment of these patients. Results The study included 127 (61.1%) men and 81 (38.9%) women, average age 68.4 ± 11.4 years. The average dialysis experience of the examined patients was 76.6 months (1 to 418). The main cause of terminal renal failure was hypertensive nephroangiosclerosis and diabetic nephropathy 66.5% (41.9%, 24.6%). During the two years before the pandemic, a total of 73 patients died, while during the first two years of the pandemic, almost twice as many patients died, 135. Mortality is statistically significantly higher in the years of the pandemic. During the pandemic, mortality was significantly higher in patients who were on HD longer (p0.05). The most common cause of death in years was SARS-CoV-2 infection (43.7%). Conclusion SARS-CoV-2 infection had a significant impact on the mortality of hemodialysis patients. The mortality of hemodialysis patients who were diagnosed with Covid 19 was extremely high. In the years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of deaths was almost twice as high as in previous years. Hemodialysis patients can be considered a high-risk population for illness and increased mortality from respiratory infections in pandemic conditions, both due to the impossibility of isolation during dialysis procedures and the specific organization of transportation to the dialysis center.