2025 Volume 58 Issue 3 Pages 139-145
A man in his 70s, living alone on welfare, had been undergoing hemodialysis for seven years due to end‒stage kidney disease caused by nephrosclerosis. He had been diagnosed with uremic pruritus. One day, bed bugs were suspected, and inspection confirmed their presence on the dialysis bed he used. Therefore, the bed was isolated and measures to prevent contact infection were implemented. Ten days later, a dermatologist diagnosed the patient with bed bug bites, and he underwent dialysis in temporal isolation. On another day, bed bugs were found in the patient’s locker, so dialysis was switched to a private room to prevent further spread, an infection‒prevention manual was created, and strict infection control measures were implemented for medical staff in the dialysis room. The community support center and exterminator reported that it was difficult to exterminate bed bugs at the patient’s home, and that it would be more practical for him to move to a facility. For this reason, the patient was admitted to our hospital in isolation and as much of his personal belongings as possible were disposed of before admission. After confirming that the patient was bed bug‒free, he was admitted to the facility. Although it was difficult to deal with the highly reproductive nature of bed bugs, we were able to prevent the spread of infection by isolating the patient in a private room, creating the infection‒prevention manual, and co‒operating with the government.
