For some patients, fistula or graft surgery is not successful, and long-term catheter access must be used. Catheters that will be needed for more than about 3 weeks are designed to be tunneled under the skin to increase comfort and reduce complications. What To Expect During Hemodialysis With every hemodialysis session, needle insertion is required. Some specialized needles are designed with two openings for two-way flow of blood, but these needles are less efficient. For some patients, use of the needle may mean longer treatments.
Some people prefer to insert their own needles.
You'll need training for this to learn how to prevent infection and protect your vascular access. Whether you insert your own needles or not, you should know about these techniques so you can understand and ask questions about your treatments. Taking Care of Your Access You can do several things to protect your access. Make sure your nurse or technician checks your access before each treatment. Keep your access clean at all times.