Why do they have catheters?

[tweetykiss]

  Thsi is just horrible....my husband got transfered to Davita just two weeks ago and before that he was at the VA where instead of a fistula, they put in a catheter in his chest which I detest so much because of infections...are they trying to kill him....now it comes loose and right after I dropped him off at Davita today, I get a call from (not Davita mind you) that they had to take him off since his catheter is coming loose....I have  hated that thing from the get go, I knew there would be problems...I took him to ER and he was just there last week for low blood count (had to stay inpatient a few days) and the doctor in ER said his catheter is out of the vein so they had to admit him and now they have to do surgery and put in another catheter and also his fever was 100.6 so they gave him antibodies and they didn't even tell me whether or not there is infection and if so, if it is gone.....I am now on hysteria over this and they should have put in a fistula when his GFR was below 30, this whole catheter thing is very very insane....how do I know that Davita didn't "accidently" pull on the catheter simply because they don't want to work with us all because I am so full of questions so much.....well after all he is my husband which off course id not their problem......

[boxman55]

don't ever stop asking why. No matter what you think might be occurring because of it.... Boxman

[skyedogrocks]

I am sorry your husband is going through this.  Are they planning to put a fistula or graft in him?  You should ask this.  Either way, he will need a catheter at first so that the fistula or graft matures.  For a fistula it takes anywhere from 4-6 months for it to fully mature.  I know a graft takes much less time.

I doubt that Davita would pull it out on purpose due to all your questions.  Catheters have been known to pull out at times.  Rob had 6 catheter's due to infections.  You have to keep it free of moisture, a full shower is definitely out of the question.  Talk to your Dr.  or the nurses at Davita and ask how to keep it clean and infection free.  Also, he's not going to get antibodies due to the infection, they will give him antibiotics to clear it up. 

Just try to keep a clear head and like boxman said, keep asking questions.

[stauffenberg]

There are two types of catheters used for vascular access in dialysis: permanent and temporary lines.  Temporary lines usually clot or get infected after a week or so and can easily come loose.  A permcath, however, as I have explained in detail in other posts, is quite convenient, allows painless dialysis access, provides excellent pump speeds, and has many fewer complications than fistula access.  Bot temporary and permcaths are inserted if dialysis has to be performed quickly without waiting for a fistula to mature.

[angela515]

I wouldn't blame them for it coming out... caths do that. Like skye said, he will need one in for awhile now dueo needing an access... I would ask for a permcath though until he gets another access and it's ready to use, since it will be awhile and that way you know it will have a better chance of staying in and less chance of infection than a temp one.

Good luck. 

[tweetykiss]

Thanks everyone for your help.....I finally came home from the hospital and the doctors all phoned me....Tuesday, they put in a perma cath and a fistula at the same time.  They still have to wait for results from the culture test yesterday......these nurses and doctors were all very nice unlike the nurses in ER....boy do they get real snotty and I told one off like a crazy woman......ha ha ha...

Thanks again everyone........