Arteriovenous Fistula

What is an arteriovenous fistula?

An arte­ri­ove­nous fistula (AVF) is an abnormal con­nec­tion between an artery and a vein that causes blood to flow directly from the artery into the vein, bypassing the cap­il­lar­ies. These can be sur­gi­cal­ly created to provide a long-term access point for hemodial­y­sis, which allows the vein to become larger and stronger for repeated needle punctures.

Why do I need an AVF?

An AVF is created by a surgeon to connect the vein and artery, usually in the arm for dialysis purposes. 

You will need to monitor the con­nec­tion in your fistula once it matures. The thrill in a dialysis fistula is the buzzing vibration felt when you place your fingers over the sur­gi­cal­ly created con­nec­tion between an artery and a vein, indi­cat­ing good blood flow and that the fistula is working properly for dialysis.