Recognizing symptoms that need immediate attention and knowing how to communicate urgency clearly and calmly to your care team right now.
Call 911 or tell your nurse immediately. Do not wait to read this page. This section is for education not for emergency guidance in the moment.
The following symptoms during a dialysis session require telling your nurse immediately not waiting to see if they pass, not managing them silently:
Chest pain or chest pressure. Any chest pain during dialysis requires immediate escalation. Do not downplay it. Do not decide it is probably nothing. Tell your nurse now.
Shortness of breath. Difficulty breathing during treatment is not normal. Tell your nurse immediately.
Significant blood pressure drop. Dizziness, weakness, sweating, nausea, or feeling faint. Your care team monitors your blood pressure regularly, but you may feel the drop before the next reading. Tell your nurse.
Severe sudden headache. A headache that comes on suddenly and is more intense than any you have experienced is a symptom worth reporting immediately.
Confusion or difficulty thinking clearly. If you feel significantly confused or cannot think straight during treatment, tell your nurse.
Irregular heartbeat. If your heart feels like it is beating irregularly, racing, or fluttering in an unusual way, tell your nurse.
Swelling or hardness at your access site. Swelling at your needle sites can indicate infiltration a needle has gone through the vein wall. Tell your nurse immediately.
In dialysis, it is always better to report something that turns out to be minor than to stay silent about something that turns out to be serious. Your care team would rather assess ten concerns that turn out to be manageable than miss one that needed immediate attention.
The following symptoms occurring between treatment sessions should prompt a call to your dialysis center or care team not a wait until your next scheduled session:
Significant swelling that is not improving — particularly in the legs, ankles, or around the eyes. Especially concerning if accompanied by shortness of breath.
Shortness of breath at rest or when lying flat. This can indicate significant fluid overload and requires same-day contact with your care team.
Bleeding from your access site that does not stop. Apply pressure and call your care center. If bleeding is significant, call 911.
Loss of thrill or bruit in your fistula. If you cannot feel the vibration (thrill) in your fistula, contact your care center immediately this may indicate a clot.
Signs of access infection — redness, warmth, pus, or significant swelling at your access site between sessions.
High fever. Fever in dialysis patients can indicate serious infection. Contact your care team.
This section is for patient education and information purposes only. It is not medical advice and does not replace guidance from your care team. Always follow your care team's guidance. Patient Advocate One is a GereNetCo movement. gerenetco.com · chaircalm.com