Does anyone know of a vascular surgeon who... - Kidney Dialysis

Kidney Dialysis

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Does anyone know of a vascular surgeon who would put in a dialysis graft that could be used within 2 weeks or less?

thisishiswife profile image
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I am looking for a facility in the West that will do an early-access dialysis graft. Hubby was procrastinating starting dialysis but became ill, went to the ER, and dialysis was started. In the month he's been hospitalized he has pulled 2 permacath ports out in his sleep. He doesn't remember doing it. He has been without dialysis four days now. If he wants to continue dialysis, he has to do it through a neck port. He must agree to wear padded mitts 24/7 (unless eating or I'm there monitoring) and stay in the hospital until a subcutaneous fistula is mature, which I understand could take four months. Then the neck port can be removed and he can go on outpatient dialysis with the arm fistula.

I don't think he'll be able to tolerate sitting in the hospital unable to use his hands, wearing "boxing glove" mitts all day and night, for months and months. The mitts are strapped with velcro, easily removed even in his sleep. If he removes the mitts, the neck port will be taken out and he will be sent home on hospice. He is 72 and wants to live.

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thisishiswife
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WYOAnne profile image
WYOAnneNKF Ambassador

An interventional radiologist put a port in my chest/neck area that I used for dialysis. If he is in the hospital now, they could do the procedure there.My veins are real small so they couldn't do a fistula, but did put in a AV Graft. When the graft clotted off they put in a port in my chest/neck area.

LeesKees_NJ profile image
LeesKees_NJ

I had a collagen graft put in because my veins were too small for a fistula. I'm pretty sure it was ready in weeks, not months like regular fistulas.

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