WKRG.com - Access For Hemodialysis

Access For Hemodialysis

Chronic kidney disease (CKD), also known as chronic renal disease, is a progressive loss of renal function over a period of months or years.  End stage renal disease (ESRD) is a severe illness and requires some form of renal replacement therapy (dialysis or renal transplant).

Some patients with kidney failure require dialysis, a procedure to remove waste products from the blood. There are two types of dialysis, peritoneal dialysis, where the patient does the process at home themself, and hemodialysis done at an outpatient center. To provide temporary access for hemodialysis, we may insert a catheter into one of the neck veins or in the vein under the collarbone. For permanent access, a graft is inserted connecting an artery to a vein. This may be placed in the arm or leg. From time to time, the graft may clot and require percutaneous interventions or surgery. For some patients there may be pain or numbness in the hand from the stealing of blood flow. If this occurs, tell your doctor.

Many renal dialysis cases can now be performed in the office surgical suites. These procedures include catheter placement, exchange or removal, along with declotting a clotted access graft and performing angiograms (taking pictures of the arteries and veins) to assess any blood flow problems or areas of stenosis. These procedures are all done under minimal anesthetic allowing the patient a short office stay.