A vascular access is a way for the health care team to access your bloodstream over and over again. Each time you have a hemodialysis treatment this access is accessed and is connected by a tube to a dialysis machine. One tube takes the blood to the dialysis machine to be cleaned. Another tube returns the clean blood to your body. This process of taking blood to and from your body to the dialysis machine is continuous during a dialysis run.
There are three types of vascular access:
- A fistula
- A graft
- A catheter
The BC Renal Hemodialysis Committee and BC Vascular Access Educators Group have developed several teaching pamphlets which provide information about each of these options and the care of vascular access sites.
