Module 8

Vascular Access: A Lifeline for Dialysis

Hemodialysis requires surgical creation of a special blood vessel—a vascular access—to handle high blood-flow rates. Learn which access is best and why, and how to protect your access so it will last as long as possible.

Topics covered in this module include:

• Types of vascular access for hemodialysis
• Catheters—access for PD
• Deciding about an access
• Preserving access sites
• Venous mapping and venogram
• Access care: all types
• Using hemo access—the steps
• Needle fear and strategies to overcome it
• Self-cannulation and the buttonhole technique
• Access monitoring: bruit, thrill, and needle rotation
• Stenosis: causes and what to do
• Thrombosis: causes and what to do

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