Dialysis access is a patient’s lifeline, and a well-functioning access is one of the keys to dialysis quality.
Besides the routine follow-up checks by the care team, patients can touch their own access at any time.
With a basic understanding of your own access, you can notice changes early and have it maintained early.
Besides the routine care methods of hand-grip exercise, warm compresses and far-infrared therapy,
we can also care for the access every day in the following simple ways:
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Pay attention to each dialysis session:
- Know the arterial flow rate and venous pressure of each session and keep a record for the clinical team’s reference
- Whether anything unusual occurs during the session, such as clots, excessively high venous pressure, machine alarms, or a needle that sometimes slips and needs repositioning
- Whether the time needed to stop bleeding after dialysis has become noticeably longer
- Watch your blood pressure after dialysis for low readings together with related discomfort
Observe changes in the vessel:
- Size and shape: whether the vessel is gradually enlarging to form what is called an aneurysm
- Color: whether there is redness, swelling, heat or pain around the puncture holes or the vessel, or even discharge, which may mean the vessel is inflamed or infected
- Pulsation: whether the vessel visibly pulsates more than before, which may indicate stenosis
- Arm or hand: watch for swelling or puffiness, marked coldness, numbness or pain, or bluish fingertips, which may indicate central vein stenosis or steal syndrome
- Neck or chest: on the same side as the access, watch for a gradually increasing number of spider-web-like vessels, which may indicate central vein stenosis
- Whether unexplained bruising on the arm is gradually spreading
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Touch the vessel:
- Gently touch the vessel with your fingertips and feel the blood flowing or vibrating
- If the usual flow or vibration is different from before, or there is no pulsation, the vessel may have changed
- Whether there are local tender spots or lumps, which may mean a clot or inflammation
Listen to the vessel:
- Hold the vessel close to your ear, or use a simple stethoscope of your own, to listen to the sound of the vessel at any time
- If the sound differs from before, has an abnormal high-pitched tone, or is absent, the vessel has changed
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