Backflow preventers are essential for protecting public health. But in the case of dialysis water, where they are placed could potentially be harmful to the patient.
Healthcare facilities are designed to protect at-risk patients for a variety of illnesses. This is true of the plumbing system design, especially in systems supplying water to medical equipment. At times there are conflicts between requirements of the plumbing code and standards for medical equipment. How these conflicts are resolved is a serious issue for facilities performing kidney dialysis.
Patients with end-stage renal disease have kidneys that are unable to effectively remove waste and toxins from their bloodstreams. As a result, these patients require either a kidney transplant or kidney dialysis to sustain life. Dialysis is the process of removing impurities from the blood. More than 350,000 people in the United States require dialysis, and this number is growing at 6 percent to 8 percent annually.