Kidney School™—a program of Medical Education Institute, Inc.

Module 8—Vascular Access: A Lifeline for Dialysis

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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