do you have the most trouble with?
Both mine have been trouble, they like to rotate. At the moment its the arterial. Having a doppler tommorow.
I have one for which the vein is closer to the surface, and one where the vein is much deeper. The deeper one is more likely to cause problems, but it hasn’t been too bad lately.
Pierre
Home patient we spoke to said his venous goes in everytime, but his art, which is the deeper one, seems to be the problem. Both bh needles had gone in fine after the initial 6-8 times, but after his days off, the art gives him trouble. It goes in almost all the way, but then will not go in the last little bit. So he has used a sharp and it goes right in through that last little bit. Is this a common problem patients have in the break in period? Or does it continue to happen? Because what other alternative does one have other than to go in with a sharp? I mean, I know one can stick elsewhere, but that doesn’t deal with the bh problem. What do your training nurses advise you to do in such a situation?
I think that’s why patients with fistulas that are 1-3 years old should use sharps needles(ladder method) until the fistula bulges a bit…
I have my fistula since 1984 and started using buttonhole needles in 2004 and have not had problems on either venous nor arterial and of course I even have 2 sets(4 buttonholes)…
Ditto, altho there’s a bias on the venous…about 3-1. Had my doppler last week. ‘Touch wood’ (sorry colleague 
) I’ve had ‘straight in’ for the last 5 sessions.
…oh dear, that’s probably blown it, saying that! :roll:
Glad to hear you’re having a streak of success with those bh needles, Bear! Can imagine how the anticipation of not knowing if they’re going to work each tx can get old. I keep thinking maybe there are more tricks to inserting the bh needles that we are unaware of. Any bh experts out there???
1-3 years to wait ti do buttonholes?? What the???