AV FISTULA
OUTLINE:
• DEFINITION
• Purpose for fistula
• Side effects
• treatment
definition
• An arteriovenous (AV) fistula is an irregular connection between an
artery and a vein. Blood flow avoids tiny blood vessels (capillaries)
and moves directly from an artery into a vein.
Purpose for fistula
• What is an AV fistula used for?
• An AV fistula is how patients are connected to a dialysis machine. A
nurse starts your dialysis treatment by inserting two needles into the
AV fistula. One needle removes the blood and sends it to the
machine, where it is filtered. The second needle allows the blood to
be safely returned to the body.
Side effects
• AV fistulas may cause:
• Swelling along with a reddish appearance on the skin surface.
• Purplish, bulging veins that you can see through your skin, similar to
varicose veins.
• Swelling in the arms or legs.
• Decreased blood pressure.
• Fatigue.
• Heart failure.
treatment
• Ultrasound-guided compression. This may be an option for an
arteriovenous fistula in the legs that's easily seen on ultrasound. ...
• Catheter embolization. In this procedure, a thin, flexible tube
(catheter) is inserted in an artery near the arteriovenous fistula. ...
• Surgery.