Chemical Quality of Water Entrance to Dialysis Machines and Its Comparison with AAMI and EPH Standards in Hospitals of Qom Province, Qom, Iran

The presence of certain chemical compounds in dialysis water which enter patients’ bodies through haemodialysis can cause various problems such as acute poisoning, brain damage, osteoarthritis, Therefore, applying the standards for dialysis water is indispensible. This study was carried out to determine the chemical quality of water entrance to dialysis machines and its comparison with AAMI and EPH standards in the hospitals of Qom province. This is a descriptive-cross sectional study which was carried out on 45 samples of water entrance to dialysis machines in hospitals of Qom province. Since there were 3 hospitals in Qom having dialysis units, out of each one 15 samples were chosen as the samples of this study. The following machines were used for analysis of samples in the research: Atomic Absorption, DR4000 and Flame photometer. The gathered data were then analyzed by independent t-test (p<0.5). The means of all measured compounds were statistically lower than standard levels and had a significant difference with standard levels. The elements and compounds such as Lead, Zinc, Potassium, Sodium, Sulphate, Nitrate, and Chloride in all the measured samples were below the standard levels, but elements such as Aluminum, Cadmium, and Fluoride were above the standard levels in 13, 6 and 9 percent of samples, respectively. The results of the study showed that in all cases the means of all the studied compounds were below the standard levels, indicating high quality dialysis water in the hospitals. However, the presence of high level of elements such as Aluminum, Cadmium, and Fluoride compared with the standard levels signifies that much should be done in examining dialysis water