Will be starting training on my new AV Graft in center, to do self cannulation at home. I’ve been asked by my dialysis nurse what kind of needles would I want to use. As I’m doing this in a Japanese hospital in Okinawa, there is sometimes communications problems or something gets lost in translation. I would like to use the buttonhole method, but will this work with a graft? I’ve tried to stay away from the needles, but after over 2 years my tunnel catheter has begun to fail, so I had to go into the hospital, and they ran one needle from the AV graft arterial and the other one to venous tunnel catheter. As I just had the AV graft worked on a few days ago, my surgeon didn’t want me to start using it yet. Fortunately it worked. Any help with types of needles would really be a big help.
Unfortunately we have not been able to do buttonholes in GAFTS yet, however there is some new materials that is coming out. Almost all of tne grafts that I have cannualted I use a 3/5 cannualtion needle by medsystems (also note in other post that I have done on the benfits of the 3/5 cannualtion needle).If they say that theycan not get the 3/5 needle ask your DR to write a ordere for them. Now to your graft remeber that you can cannualteed it on the SIDE as well as the top. When cannualting on the side make sure that you go in at a flat angle of 5 degres and and 70 to 80 degree angle to the graft. Best of luck !!!
Where you able to get the 3/5 cannualtion needles if so how do you like them