How to Stick Dialysis Needles

Dialysis is a treatment that rids the body of deadly toxins in persons whose kidneys are no longer functioning. There are several methods of this type of treatment. The only dialysis treatment that uses needles is called Hemodialysis. Hemodialysis patients have to have a surgical procedure to input a graft or fistula, which is used in conjunction with the needles to supply blood (from the graft or fistula) to the dialysis machine. Commonly, most patients do hemodialysis in their arm, although in some cases patients dialyze through their thigh or neck (jugular vein). Be proactive in your own health and learn how to stick dialysis needles like a pro.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Get the approval from your doctor prior to sticking your arm. You will most likely have to train with a dialysis technician or nurse.

2. Wash your hands and THEN clean your arm with warm water and dispensed soap. This is to ensure that you have rid your hands of germs. Rub the access area (your graft/fistula) in a circular motion for 30 seconds. You should have been able to sing the full alphabet upon finishing cleaning the arm. Run the warm water over the access using your hand, palm up curved (making a "c”), to rinse the arm clean.

3. Retrieve clean paper towels and pat dry your access. Use NEW clean paper towels to turn off the water. You do not want to use wet paper towels from drying your arm because it could transfer germs to your hands. Do not turn the water off with your bare hands.

4. Sit in your treatment chair and put your gloves on. Use alcohol pads to clean the access. One pad for your arterial, and one for the venous. After a few seconds take betadine pads and repeat steps above. Let betadine dry for 1 minute.

5. Tie a tourniquet, if needed. Feel your vein to find a good spot to stick. Your sticks should not be close; they should be two fingers' length away from each other to keep your pressure from running high during treatment. This can help prevent your access from "blowing out" and keep it in good condition. However, this is not fool proof. As you should know if you are already on dialysis, the top area of the access or stick is called the venous and the bottom is the arterial. Stick the arterial first since it is on the bottom. Feel the area and make sure your thrill, or bruit as it is sometimes called, is pulsing. Stick the red colored needle (if you have colored ones) at an angle until you break the skin.

6. Push down slightly once you get a flash back (blood pulsing inside the needle), then up until the needle is comfortable in the arm. You should not feel the needle once it is in the arm. Use 2 pieces of surgical tape and tape the line down. Apply one band-aid to the tip of the needle.

7. Complete steps above for the venous stick. Now slightly unscrew the bottom of the needle to draw blood down to the bottom of the line. Once you have done this, you are ready to get on your dialysis machine.