What is an AV Fistula for Hemodialysis?
What is an AV Fistula for Hemodialysis?“I was diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease.”For Rogelio Garcia, who’s been battling diabetes and high blood pressure for years, that diagnosis led tohemodialysis. His kidney’s were failing.“I was a little scared about it because, you know, because I didnʼt know how long Iʼd have to be on themachine and in the center and that sort of thing and I heard the stories about you get, youʼre realwiped out. So, I was concerned about that, but it was something that I had to otherwise it was going tobe very bad for me in the end.”Like Rogelio, most Hemodialysis patients go to a dialysis center 3 times a week so that an artificial kidneymachine can clean their blood. There are different ways to access your blood and connect to the machine, butan AV Fistula should be considered first because it generally lasts longer and has fewer complications.“There's a lower rate of infection. The patients tend to get better dialysis through a fistula. The flows areusually higher therefore dialysis is more efficient.”With an AV, or Arteriovenous Fistula, your surgeon will directly connect a vein to an artery, usually in your arm,to make a bigger blood vessel that can handle the movement of a lot of blood through the dialysis machine.From one needle in the fistula, blood is sent to this artificial kidney, where waste products and extra fluids areremoved. Then the clean blood is returned to your body through a second needle into the venous, or vein endof the fistula.“It's a hyper vein or a giant vein, if you will, and that allows us to pump anywhere from 300 milliliters ofblood to 500 milliliters of blood a minute.”Exactly how much and how fast blood is pumped through the dialysis machine depends on the patient.“If you lose blood in a hurry you might get faint or dizzy or your blood pressure may fall. So, the blood istaken at a slow but constant rate, taken to the dialysis machine, cleaned and then delivered through asecond needle, so called venous stick, and it's returned to the patient.”To help keep your fistula working properly, avoid pressure on that arm. Don’t wear tight clothes or jewelry thatwould compress the blood vessel. Don’t carry anything heavy. Don’t sleep with your head on the arm with thefistula, and don’t let anyone use that arm to draw blood or check your blood pressure.Even with the best care, over time, you may need procedures to keep the fistula running properly or you mayeven need a new fistula.“I would say that the average fistula is probably going to last anywhere from two to five years,hopefully longer. We need to ensure the patient is getting dialysis for as long as possible. Andtherefore, we need to maximize our options.”Needing dialysis and a fistula may seem overwhelming, but your healthcare team is there to support you.This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.PRG58218B EN WhatIsAnAVFistulaForHemodialysis.pdf© The Wellness NetworkPage 1 of 2What is an AV Fistula for Hemodialysis?“We understand that this is a difficult transition for them in their lives but it's not something that theyhave to just throw the towel in. A lot of patients find out that this is very manageable and if you putyour time and effort into it (edit) it doesn't defeat you and you still can live your life.”This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.PRG58218B EN WhatIsAnAVFistulaForHemodialysis.pdf© The Wellness NetworkPage 2 of 2
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