update

[babycake]

i saw my vascular doc today
they want to surgery on my dialyis arm
next month to take the plastic graft out
for they belive that is the cause of my infection
and replace it with a cow graft... (known as the bovine graft)
which means i would have to have a chest cath for a month.....ick

Vascular access for hemodialysis by bovine graft arteriovenous fistulas.

Abstract

A technique has been developed for vascular access in chronic dialysis using bovine graft arteriovenous fistulas in the forearm. Indications for use of bovine arteriovenous fistulas are failures of arteriovenous shunts and standard arteriovenous fistulas at the wrist or as a primary procedure in the event that arterial inflow or venous outflow are inadequate. Choice of either a straight or loop graft is dictated by the vascular anatomy. Loop grafts, orginating from the brachial artery, should be used for inflow problems; straight grafts, originating from an artery at the wrist, should be used for outflow problems. Results have been excellent in this series of 39 grafts in 36 patients observed from two months to one year with a follow-up average of six months. Ninety per cent of the grafts continue to function or functioned until successful transplantation or the death of the patient. Advantages of bovine graft arteriovenous fistulas compared with other fistulas include ease of access, high flows and decreased incidence of hematomas. The major complication has been thrombosis, and this incidence, most likely, can be decreased by more careful selection of the type of graft placement according to the vascular anatomy.

[PrimeTimer]

babycake: Thanks for providing the article about bovine grafts. Anyone needing dialysis access should be interested in reading it. Hope it works for you. I think they use pig valves in people needing a new heart valve because a pig's tissue is well accepted by the human body and/or not rejected. Looks like the same applies to bovine grafts being used for fistulas. Maybe less chance of infection. Good luck, please let us know how it goes.

[Simon Dog]

The bovine graft thing is interesting.    A limitation of grafts is they don't heal, so the tubing gets more and more beat up as it is repeatedly punctured.  I wonder if the bovine grafts will actually heal (becoming less bovine as human cells do repairs) or if the bovine tissue is inert and subject to the same issues as synthetic grafts.

[babycake]

babycake: Thanks for providing the article about bovine grafts. Anyone needing dialysis access should be interested in reading it. Hope it works for you. I think they use pig valves in people needing a new heart valve because a pig's tissue is well accepted by the human body and/or not rejected. Looks like the same applies to bovine grafts being used for fistulas. Maybe less chance of infection. Good luck, please let us know how it goes.

actually i have a
aortic valve not a pig