Ipswich Hospital opens Acute Haemodialysis Unit

Ipswich Hospital has opened a six-bed Acute Haemodialysis Unit to provide access to patients requiring haemodialysis treatment.

As part of the Queensland Government’s $22 million Ipswich Hospital Expansion Minor Works project, the unit is expected to service up to 72 sessions of haemodialysis a week.

The West Moreton Kidney Health Service currently supports about 1000 people with chronic kidney disease (CKD). About 24,000 West Moreton adults are estimated to have at least one biomedical sign of CKD, such as reduced kidney function, and 1 in 3 Queensland adults are at an increased risk of developing it.

The expansion of the service means that local patients who have previously had to travel extensive distances to seek treatment may now receive it in Ipswich.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman explained that the service will also reduce the frequency of extensive travel, as some patients previously were required to travel up to three times a week to receive Haemodialysis treatment for CKD.

“The unit is equipped with cardiac monitoring to provide a higher level of care if required, lowering the number of transfers to the Intensive Care Unit.”

The Senior Staff Specialist of Nephrology at Ipswich Hospital, Associate Professor Sree Krishna Venuthurupalli, explained that patients, “can now receive the care they require at Ipswich Hospital, without needing to be transferred to a metropolitan hospital to continue their kidney health treatment”.

MP Charis Mullen also noted the added convenience of the unit for nurses and doctors, saying that the “facility will provide an incredible space for our healthcare workers to provide dialysis treatment”.

The research into the unit found that 90% of kidney function can be lost before disease symptoms are felt. However, kidney disease symptoms are treatable in caught early.

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