When I was put on dialysis way back in 1997, I was given an AV Shunt. It was a small surgery, done in an Operation Theater. Dialysis was totally painless. The arterial and venous lines were connected to the two ends of the shunt and dialysis would be done.
Shunts are outdated these days with the preferred mode of a temporary access for dialysis being a jugular catheter. The insertion of a jugular catheter is a more simple process than a shunt. It is mostly done outside an Operation Theater, often on a dialysis bed.
Dialysis using a jugular catheter is also painless. The two ends of the bloodlines are connected to the two ends of the catheter lines and the dialysis is started.
When I eventually got my fistula in 1997, I remember every one around me was excited. "The fistula is working!" "Here, feel the thrill, the bruit", the doctor would say offering me the stethoscope to hear the whoosh sound inside.
Dialysis, however, became horrible. There would be four needle pricks every time. Two to inject local anesthetic and two more for the actual fistula needles which were monstrously huge. I started dreading the whole thing.
So, what is it about the fistula that has medical professionals so excited?
For one, accesses like shunts and jugular catheters are temporary. They last for at most, a few months. And the number of such accesses you can have is limited. A fistula, on the other hand can last for decades. The main reason for this is that while temporary accesses are external accesses (there is something coming out of the body and this 'exit site' is highly susceptible to infection), a fistula is an internal access (the vein and the artery are connected inside the body, under the skin - so there is very little chance of infection).
However, the start of a dialysis session and at times, the entire session becomes a painful experience. The needles are by no means pleasant. So, while everyone around you is happy that you have finally got a fistula, you start wondering what the excitement is all about?! Days with the jugular were so much more pleasant!
One thing positive about the fistula from our perspective is that we can finally take a complete shower. With a shunt or a jugular catheter, you had to always be careful that you did not wet the site. With a fistula however, once the surgery site has healed, you can take a full blown shower, for hours even, without having to bother about wetting the site!
Shunts are outdated these days with the preferred mode of a temporary access for dialysis being a jugular catheter. The insertion of a jugular catheter is a more simple process than a shunt. It is mostly done outside an Operation Theater, often on a dialysis bed.
Dialysis using a jugular catheter is also painless. The two ends of the bloodlines are connected to the two ends of the catheter lines and the dialysis is started.
When I eventually got my fistula in 1997, I remember every one around me was excited. "The fistula is working!" "Here, feel the thrill, the bruit", the doctor would say offering me the stethoscope to hear the whoosh sound inside.
Dialysis, however, became horrible. There would be four needle pricks every time. Two to inject local anesthetic and two more for the actual fistula needles which were monstrously huge. I started dreading the whole thing.
So, what is it about the fistula that has medical professionals so excited?
For one, accesses like shunts and jugular catheters are temporary. They last for at most, a few months. And the number of such accesses you can have is limited. A fistula, on the other hand can last for decades. The main reason for this is that while temporary accesses are external accesses (there is something coming out of the body and this 'exit site' is highly susceptible to infection), a fistula is an internal access (the vein and the artery are connected inside the body, under the skin - so there is very little chance of infection).
However, the start of a dialysis session and at times, the entire session becomes a painful experience. The needles are by no means pleasant. So, while everyone around you is happy that you have finally got a fistula, you start wondering what the excitement is all about?! Days with the jugular were so much more pleasant!
One thing positive about the fistula from our perspective is that we can finally take a complete shower. With a shunt or a jugular catheter, you had to always be careful that you did not wet the site. With a fistula however, once the surgery site has healed, you can take a full blown shower, for hours even, without having to bother about wetting the site!
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