Peritoneal Dialysis

[Keen2know]

My husband and I are training to do PD. He had the permanent catheter implanted and it is working fine. Someone recommended that he should get a fistula in his arm as a backup. Is that usually done?

[LadyLuv]

I do pd, manually for 3 years and I don't have one. That said, a lot of patients have one. If you want one for your husband, by all means get one.

[cs65 NKF Ambassador]

The best reason to get an arteriovenous fistula or graft is to lessen the chance of infection. You should talk to his nephrologist to get the best information and to make your decision.

[3Kidneys]

I’ve been on PD this time around for two years and I do have an AV fistula also. It’s my back up should I suddenly not be able to do PD for some reason, say a case of peritonitis or something. The AV fistula is used for hemodialysis, but can take up to six -eight months to heal enough to be used. So it needs to be done before you need it.

[seascape5]

Hello. My husband has been told because of his hernia thats been repaired around belly , that he cant do PD. He has a fistula thats been working fine for months. Could he do at home PD with the fistula?

[Glamourgirlj in reply to seascape5]

You wouldn’t be able to do pd with a fistula. Fistula goes into your veins whereas pd fluid goes into your abdomen. You can look into doing home hemodialysis though. You will need to train for several weeks on how to work the machine and what all the alarm codes mean as well as the patient does need a helper. I’ve been doing home hemp on my mom for almost 10 years. She likes it better then pd cuz we only do it 4 days/wk instead of 7 with pd. She’s never had any major problems with it like she did with pd. She sits in the recliner, reads her kindle and watches tv while I do everything else. It takes dedication for both the patient n caregiver but the benefits are well worth it.

[cs65 NKF Ambassador]

Maybe he should explore home hemodialysis since he has a working fistula. That would involve having a partner to put the needles in and be there to watch the machine and make adjustments and to take the needles out, etc. There are people on this site who do home hemodialysis and they are the best ones to ask. I do in center hemodialysis. Good luck!