Stent placement Albuquerque: They’re small enough to fit into the tiniest of blood vessels, but stents can help fix them when they’re blocked or injured. A new stent placement Albuquerque procedure offers hope to patients with dialysis fistulas—small arteries in the limbs that develop after placement of dialysis catheters—who had previously been out of options. This new approach was recently described in The Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, and it shows the potential to save patients from the debilitating consequences of such an injury.
What is a dialysis fistula?
A fistula is an artificial passageway that’s inserted into a patient’s body. The passageway allows for blood to flow from one part of the body into another, providing a connection between two parts of the body. In patients undergoing dialysis (hemodialysis), a catheter can be placed in either their neck or groin area and routed through a central line back into their heart—that way blood can exit out of one artery and reenter at another artery.
Current methods for monitoring fistulas:
With all current methods, unfortunately, there is a need for time-consuming and labor-intensive follow-up by clinic staff. One method involves a qualitative measurement of Doppler velocity in three locations along each fistula. The fistula is assumed to be patent if velocities greater than 30 cm/s are detected in two out of three measured sites. Another monitoring method uses color flow Doppler to directly visualize flow through each fistula.
What are the risks of not maintaining an adequate blood flow:
If there is poor blood flow through a dialysis fistula, it could lead to problems. Any number of complications can result from a low flow, such as kidney damage or infections. That’s why patients are encouraged to maintain their flow rate above certain levels, and they must visit their doctor regularly for checkups and adjustments to their treatment plan if necessary. In some cases, doctors may recommend stent placement in Albuquerque to help keep an adequate blood flow going through a patient’s fistula.
How new stents could potentially solve some issues:
According to a study published in The Journal of Vascular Access Devices, Abbott Laboratories has developed an improved stent that could offer hope to patients who suffer from fistulas. This life-changing condition can occur as a result of hemodialysis, where blood vessels connect between an artery and vein through a small hole or fistula in your skin.
Results from human trials on the new stents:
The fistula is connected to a dialysis catheter, a tube that carries blood from one area of your body through a filter and back into another part of your body. During hemodialysis, blood flows in one direction through the catheter and out through an artery in your wrist or arm. The procedure involves replacing one type of stent used for clot prevention with other types that are more effective in maintaining good blood flow within dialysis fistulas. These new stents help increase blood flow by allowing for better movement of erythrocytes (red blood cells) out from between cells lining an artificial arteriovenous access site. With more red blood cells exiting these areas, overall permeability improves and cell-cell contact remains intact.
Improving the lives of patients using this procedure
The new procedure, which is already being performed by DaVita’s nephrologists in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is minimally invasive. As opposed to placing a patient on a dialysis machine for hours each day, hemodialysis through a dialysis fistula can be done in as little as 15 minutes per session and doesn’t require any anesthesia. With less time under anesthesia, dialysis fistula patients are also able to maintain their natural kidney functions much better than they could before.
