How to Protect Your Arteriovenous Fistula

When people with renal failure, dialysis become one of the few options left. Before performing dialysis, one must build a vascular access, which is the so-called vascular access or arteriovenous fistula.


Vascular access functions as leading the blood from human body, guiding them into dialyzer, after the blood is purified by the machine, channeling them back to human body afterwards. It is called arteriovenous fistula. It’s the lifeline to those who sustain their lives with dialysis.


Arteriovenous fistula can be categorized as temporary and permanent. To those people with fistula, what should they do to protect their lifeline from being impaired? Here are some suggestions.


1. Avoid squeezing the limb with fistula.

▪ Don’t carry handbags, baskets or anything else over the arm with fistula.

▪ Don’t press the arm or leg with fistula beneath your body as sleeping.

▪ Avoid receiving any kinds of operations in the very limb, such as measure your blood pressure or taking I.V. etc.


2. To those with delicate blood vessels, mild housework should be recommended for him or her. They are able to complete some daily mild housework.


3. Limbs should keep warm especially in winter.


4. Take good control of your weight, avoiding dramatic weight fluctuations. Weight controlling is good for the prevention of low blood pressure during or after dialysis.


5. The point of puncture should be taken good care, make sure it is clean and dry.


6. Do not compress the puncture point for a long time or forceful.


7. Adjust the dose of erythropoietin as hemoglobin reached the standard.


8. Get used to touch the point every day. If sense any change, talk with your doctor immediately.


Those are some simple tips for those on dialysis with  arteriovenous fistula. All those are far from enough to protect your lifeline. What else you want to know, feel free to chat with our online experts for free advice.