Vascular and Vein Institute of the South
Vascular Surgery located in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas
If you have kidney disease and need dialysis treatment to clean your blood, the first step is to establish safe and effective dialysis access. With multiple locations in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas, we offer expert dialysis access creation and maintenance. Call or schedule a consultation online today to find out which type of dialysis access is right for you.
Dialysis Access Q & A
What is dialysis access surgery?
We offer several dialysis access options, including both access creation and maintenance – including arterio-venous (AV) fistula placement, arterio-venous graft placement (AVG), percutaneous fistula creation, and access maintenance procedures (including fistulograms with subsequent treatment).
Surgical Access Creation - AV Fistula Placement
An AV fistula connects an artery directly to a vein, usually in your arm. An AV fistula increases the blood flow between the connected artery and vein. The higher volume of blood flow enlarges and strengthens your vein enough to support dialysis treatment. AV fistulas tend to last longer than other types of dialysis access and are less vulnerable to infection and clotting.
An AV graft is created similarly to a fistula, connecting a vein to an artery, but employs a plastic tube that is healed over by surrounding tissue.
With advanced technology, percutaneous fistula creation is also a great option for patients on dialysis – and can be performed in one of our outpatient procedural centers.
Access Maintenance - Fistulogram with Angioplasty, Stenting, & Thrombolytics
Long-term dialysis treatment can make the lining of your blood vessels thicken to the point where your circulation is limited enough to make dialysis difficult. During a fistulogram, we use minimally invasive techniques to locate (and ultimately fix) the narrowed section of the vein – including the use of both angioplasty (a balloon catheter), stents (medical grade metal mesh tubes), and thrombolytics (clot-busting drugs).
If you’re looking for an expert vascular surgeon for dialysis access creation and/or maintenance, call 1-888-FISTULA or make your appointment online today.