Complications that bring a chronic renal patient to emergency health services

• Published in: Revista gaúcha de enfermagem Vol. 29; no. 4; pp. 543 - 550
• Main Authors: Breitsameter, Guilherme, Thomé, Elisabeth Gomes da Rocha, Silveira, Denise Tolfo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Published: Brazil 01.12.2008
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Brazil - epidemiology; Cardiovascular Diseases - complications; Cardiovascular Diseases - epidemiology; Chronic Disease; Comorbidity; Dyspnea - complications; Dyspnea - epidemiology; Emergencies; Emergency Service, Hospital - statistics & numerical data; Female; Fever - complications; Fever - epidemiology; Gastrointestinal Diseases - complications; Gastrointestinal Diseases - epidemiology; Hospitals, Urban - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Kidney Diseases - complications; Kidney Diseases - epidemiology; Male; Middle Aged; Nervous System Diseases - complications; Nervous System Diseases - epidemiology; Nursing; Patient Acceptance of Health Care - statistics & numerical data; Renal Dialysis; Brazil
• ISSN: 0102-6933

Chronic kidney disease usually presents a variety of severe and chronic complications forcing patients to look for emergency services. This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted to get to know the profile of the chronic renal patient with complications, who looks for emergency health services. The sample encompassed 139 patients, who were treated in the Hospital de Clínicas emergency service in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Medical records and reports were used to collect data, and descriptive statistics for data analysis. The results showed that 55.4% of the sampled individuals were females, 78.4% were between 41 and 80 years old, 54.7% were under renal replacement therapy, 51.1% were hypertensive and 58.3% lived in the Porto Alegre's metropolitan area. The main complications were dyspnea, fever, and neurological alterations. According to these results, the health team should conduct a direct follow up of these patients to reduce their need of being treated at emergency health services.