I am soon going to home dialysis and my doctor wanted me to daily dialysis. However I currently have a right side Permcath and it is not doing so good. I have to use a TPA dwell in it most times to get it going. However I do think Warfarin or another blood thinner may help with that as once its going it give good speed at 350.
What I want to know is what people do because I understand you can't needle a fistula 7 days a week. Do people have both a fistula and a line or just tessio lines?
Thanks
Neal
Posts: 13 | Location: Woodbridge, Suffolk, United Kingdom | Registered: 24 July 2002
I am in a slow nocturnal group in the USA. The patients dialyze 6 nights a weeks. Some of the patients have catheters some have a fiscula. I believe this also true in the Canadian programs.
Posts: 76 | Location: Trinity, Texas, USA | Registered: 15 July 2004
I've dialyzed five to six times a week at home for over a year. I have a 12 year old fistula, I use the buttonhole technique for the arterial site and the area method for the venous site. I have not noticed any change in my fistula since starting more frequent dialysis.
Posts: 18 | Location: Seattle, WA, USA | Registered: 01 March 2002
I've been on Nocturnal for year. I have an upper arm fistula needled 6 times per week. Here in Geelong, Australia, most nocturnal patients use fistulas. I agree with Bill Peckham.
Posts: 15 | Location: Geelong, Victoria, Australia | Registered: 08 March 2002
Here in the States we use the Button Holes for daily dialysis. This entails the development of 2 to 4 insertions sites that can be alternated each treatment. The development of the sites takes a few weeks. Another option is to use a single needle approach. A single needle is used to remove and replace blood. This requires a special pump on the dialysis machine. We have had excellent results with both fistulas and grafts. Good for you for choosing this modality!