Are any Clinics in the US using BioHole device to start buttonholes ?

[Lindia]

No one at my clinic had heard of this. My neph hadn't either but he wrote down the name and was going to look it up to see if it might work for me. Yes, I believe that he will, he follows through on his promises. I let you know what happens.

CebuShan -  thanks !    I will be very interested in hearing what happens.   My hubbys neph is pretty much worthless on anything new, and I feel like our DaVita clinic is focused more on making money than actually really helping their clients.          

[Lindia]

Hi All --    Well, I found out my answer to this question today.   I attended the Heartland Kidney Network Meeting in Wichita Kansas.   I was VERY glad to see that Stuart Mott was in attendance.  My hubby and I talked to Stuart about self cannulation, and my hubby said that he learned more from Stuart in 5 minutes than he had learned from anyone else.  I recognized Stuart's name from the Home Dialysis. org website - as their cannulation expert.

Sadly -  the bio-hole device is not approved by the FDA for use in the United States.  Stuart did mention that if your nephrologist referred you to a nephrologist in Canada, you could have access to this little device.  If I lived in a state bordering Canada, I would so do it  ! !    It was so nice to meet someone in person, that I had bumped into on the web.  Stuart also told us that we should sign up for the next NxStage Cruise, and he is going --  I'm starting to get tempted.        

[Lindia]

 

And we are still having problems with his buttonholes  -   sigh ---  we have been trying for more than a month to get them working.   They didn't work today, and some tech we don't trust - swooped in and did a "wet stick" whatever that is.     I'm thinking we will have to just try starting 2 new ones -- and only my hubby touch those -   to many techs keep messing with the ones we've been trying to establish.   

Can I just say it is very aggravating that the bio-hole device isn't available in the US !!!!     

[lmunchkin]

We hope to go on the next NxStage cruise, but one never knows!  Ive never been on a cruise ship!  Be my luck, Ill get sea sick.

lmunch

[monrein]

And we are still having problems with his buttonholes  -   sigh ---  we have been trying for more than a month to get them working.   They didn't work today, and some tech we don't trust - swooped in and did a "wet stick" whatever that is.     I'm thinking we will have to just try starting 2 new ones -- and only my hubby touch those -   to many techs keep messing with the ones we've been trying to establish.   

Can I just say it is very aggravating that the bio-hole device isn't available in the US !!!!     

The biohole device is likely a good option for a dialysis unit with multiple cannulators trying to establish butttonholes on a patient who can't/won't cannulate themselves but I really think that the best thing in the long run (both in terms of patient sense of control and best outcome for a fistula) is for a single consistent person to do the sticking.  I believe this to be true for the ladder technique with sharps, so that the same spots aren't overused leading to aneurysms, as well as for buttonholes so that the angle of the sick is consistent.  The best person for the job is the patient unless of course there are issues of vision or cognitive capacity.  Occasionally a sharp might have to be used but again consistency is key in terms of the angle of the stick and a single sticker is the best insurance here.  My understanding is that the biohole device, in addition to the cost, can be problematic for infection risk as well as for developing a larger than necessary buttonhole.  Buttonholes are also much more straightforward to use when one dialyzes more than 3 times a week.

Best of luck to your hubby in starting new buttonholes that he and ONLY he will stick.   

[CebuShan]

My buttonholes are slow getting established but so was my fistula. My clinic insists on having one person do the stick when establishing buttonholes. When the nurse that is doing mine was ill, they stuck me as far away from the buttonholes as possible. I really liked that they asked me where my buttonholes were (even though you can see & feel them) before sticking me.