AV Fistula Creation

To regularly receive dialysis – in which an external device filters your blood when your kidneys can no longer sufficiently do so – you will need a vascular access point created, usually in the arm. Most often, this is done with the creation of an AV fistula.

At Florida Endovascular and Interventional in South Florida, we offer AV fistula creation for patients who will require dialysis. As is the case with many of our treatments, we do this in a relatively quick and easy minimally invasive manner – so that you can avoid surgery.

What is an AV Fistula?

A fistula is a connection between two organs that don’t normally connect. In the case of an arteriovenous (AV) fistula, it is the point of connection between an artery and vein.

Your blood typically flows from arteries to capillaries to veins, which allow the following circulatory functions to take place:

  • Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the rest of the body
  • Capillaries allow a gas exchange to take place, as oxygen and carbon dioxide pass between the blood and the body’s cells
  • Veins return oxygen-depleted blood back to the heart and lungs
AV Fistula

Arteries naturally have thick, flexible walls – making arteries sturdier than veins, which are much more likely to burst. By connecting an artery directly to a vein, an AV fistula allows greater blood to flow through the vein, causing its walls to strengthen.

This strengthening allows the vein used for dialysis to be better able to accommodate the repeated removal and return of blood at a high speed. In other words, an AV fistula allows easy and reliable vascular access to a patient’s blood for dialysis.

Nonsurgical AV Fistula Creation

Our interventional radiologists excel in the types of minimally invasive procedures that don’t require large incisions, surgery – or even stitches. Instead, we offer a more efficient and comfortable approach to AV fistula creation. With our procedure, you’ll experience a speedy recovery and no scarring.

Under ultrasound guidance, the doctor will use a special needle to access a deep vein below the elbow. From there, the needle is advanced into the nearby radial artery, and a guidewire is passed through the needle and into the artery.

The needle is then removed, and a catheter is inserted between vein and into the artery. Once in position, the catheter tip delivers thermal energy (heat) to create a permanently fused connection between the two blood vessels. The catheter and guidewire are then removed, and a bandage is placed over the needle puncture site.

You should be able resume your regular activities within 24 hours. It may be a few months before the vein has strengthened enough, thanks to the fistula, to be able to safely handle the increased blood flow and pressure of dialysis.

Benefits of Nonsurgical AV Fistula Procedure

Our nonsurgical alternative for fistula creation comes with the following benefits:

  • Allows you to avoid the risks and costs of surgery and hospitalization
  • Utilizes patented tissue-fusion technology
  • Only a single point of entry is needed for this procedure, which takes around 30 minutes
  • No implants are placed in your body
  • No sutures are required
  • It can be performed under local anesthesia, if preferred
  • Recovery is fast – you’re able to resume your normal routine within a day

Nonsurgical Vascular Access for Dialysis in South Florida

Do you have advanced kidney disease and require dialysis? The interventional radiologists at Florida Endovascular and Interventional can create an AV fistula to prepare you for dialysis – without surgery!

Ask us about our minimally invasive AV fistula creation procedure – and transportation services – by calling Florida Endovascular and Interventional at (786) 534-2555. You can also request an appointment with us now.

We have 3 convenient locations in South Florida, in Miami Lakes, Plantation, and Aventura.