Patient Satisfaction with Hemodialysis Catheter in Patients with Chronic Renal Failure

Abstract

Purpose: Patients with chronic renal failure, for whom renal transplantation is not an option, depend on hemodialysis for life. An Arteriovenous shunt is the gold standart access site for hemodialysis. In patients without an AV shunt or with an immature shunt, a hemodialysis catheter is used. Subclavian, femoral and juguler veins are common sites for hemodiaylsis catheter. Patients may have different complaints with the catheter according to the insertion site. In our study, we aimed to investigate the impact of the site of the catheter on patients' comfort and social lives. Method: Between January 2011 and May 2012, 48 women and 91 men (139 patients) who underwent AV shunt operation in our clinic. The mean age of the patients was 60.85 +/- 14.6(min:54, max:83) years. Every patient was interviewed individually about his comfort and satisfaction with the catheter. There were no statistically significant demographic differences among patients. Results: When insertion of a hemodialysis catheter is planned in patients with chronic renal failure, internal juguler vein is the optimum site and should be preferred in the first line. In cases which juguler vein is not available, subclavian vein is the next preferred site and he femoral vein, due to its high rates of infection, is the last place to choose for the insertion of a hemodialysis catheter. Conclusion: We believe that informing patients about the site of the catheter and the possible disadvantages will improve the patient satisfaction.