THE BUTTONHOLE TECHNIQUE

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Hemodialysis: The Rope Ladder and the Buttonhole Techniques
When a person’s kidney function starts to deteriorate, the ability to filter wastes and fluid begins to decrease, thus, leading to the buildup of toxins in the body. Treatment options available for patients living with kidney failure are very limited. Hemodialysis is one type of treatment that can be used for kidney failure patients. This treatment replaces the function of the previously working kidney(s), filtering blood and ridding the body of waste products, as well as excess fluid that is not needed. This is done by a machine specific for hemodialysis called a dialyzer (Dialysis Needles, Self-Cannulation and the Buttonhole Technique , 2014). The dialysate is fluid used in the dialyzer that helps with the filtering of the blood within the machine. This fluid is made up of water that has been purified and contains potassium, sodium, magnesium, chloride, calcium, and dextrose. If pH needs to be balanced, bicarbonate will be added to this solution (Nettina, 2014). In order for hemodialysis to be used, an arteriovenous fistula must be surgically prepared by a physician. A fistula is when an artery and a vein are connected directly to one another resulting in a more perfused vein (Dialysis Needles, Self-Cannulation and the Buttonhole Technique , 2014). The benefit of having a vein receive larger amounts of blood is that it causes the vein become larger and stronger; therefore, it can handle the repeated cannulation placements that are needed to perform hemodialysis (Vascular Access for Hemodialysis, 2010). Fistulas take some time to mature but once they have matured, they are ready to be accessed and used for hemodialysis treatment.
The more commonly known and...

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