Over 300,000 Americans now receive dialysis treatments due to kidney failure. People with kidney failure must have regular dialysis care to prevent waste products from building up in their blood. Preparations for dialysis should be made several months before it will be needed. Easy access to your bloodstream must be established so that access is available when dialysis begins.

 

As a board-certified surgeon in St. Petersburg, Florida, Dr. Freddie L. McRae has helped hundreds of people with kidney failure get the dialysis treatments they need by creating a vascular access path, also known as a shunt. A shunt is most often created in the nondominant arm, so for a left-handed person this would be their right arm. The shunt creates a way for blood to be removed from your body, circulate through the dialysis machine and then return to your body at a rate that is higher than can be achieved through a normal vein. There are three major types of shunts: primary AV fistula, synthetic bridge graft and central venous catheter.

Primary AV fistula: This is the preferred type of vascular access. It requires a surgical procedure that creates a direct connection between an artery and a vein. This is often done in the lower arm but can be done in the upper arm, as well. Regardless of its location or how it is created, the fistula is located under the skin. During dialysis, two needles are inserted into the fistula vein. Blood flows out through one needle, circulates through the dialysis machine and flows back through the other needle.

 

Synthetic bridge graft: Sometimes a patient’s veins are not suitable for creating a fistula. In these cases, Dr. McRae uses a flexible tube to create a path between an artery and vein in the arm so that blood can easily be withdrawn and replaced during dialysis. Repeated angioplasty can help a graft stay open for as long as five years.

 

Central venous catheter: Dr. McRae places a thin flexible tube into a large vein, usually in the neck. This procedure may be recommended if dialysis must be started immediately and the patient does not have a functioning AV fistula or graft. This type of vascular access is usually used only on a temporary basis.

 

Hundreds of St. Petersburg area physicians have referred their patients to Dr. McRae since 1980. Call our office to  learn more about Dr. McRae's advanced dialysis access maintenance capabilities or to make an appointment .

Over 300,000 Americans now receive dialysis treatments due to kidney failure. People with kidney failure must have regular dialysis care to prevent waste products from building up in their blood. Preparations for dialysis should be made several months before it will be needed. Easy access to your bloodstream must be established so that access is available when dialysis begins.

 

As a board-certified surgeon in St. Petersburg, Florida, Dr. Freddie L. McRae has helped hundreds of people with kidney failure get the dialysis treatments they need by creating a vascular access path, also known as a shunt. A shunt is most often created in the nondominant arm, so for a left-handed person this would be their right arm. The shunt creates a way for blood to be removed from your body, circulate through the dialysis machine and then return to your body at a rate that is higher than can be achieved through a normal vein. There are three major types of shunts: primary AV fistula, synthetic bridge graft and central venous catheter.

Primary AV fistula: This is the preferred type of vascular access. It requires a surgical procedure that creates a direct connection between an artery and a vein. This is often done in the lower arm but can be done in the upper arm, as well. Regardless of its location or how it is created, the fistula is located under the skin. During dialysis, two needles are inserted into the fistula vein. Blood flows out through one needle, circulates through the dialysis machine and flows back through the other needle.

 

Synthetic bridge graft: Sometimes a patient’s veins are not suitable for creating a fistula. In these cases, Dr. McRae uses a flexible tube to create a path between an artery and vein in the arm so that blood can easily be withdrawn and replaced during dialysis. Repeated angioplasty can help a graft stay open for as long as five years.

 

Central venous catheter: Dr. McRae places a thin flexible tube into a large vein, usually in the neck. This procedure may be recommended if dialysis must be started immediately and the patient does not have a functioning AV fistula or graft. This type of vascular access is usually used only on a temporary basis.

 

Hundreds of St. Petersburg area physicians have referred their patients to Dr. McRae since 1980. Call our office to  learn more about Dr. McRae's advanced dialysis access maintenance capabilities or to make an appointment .