Dialysis Patients Urged Not to Delay Treatment Due to COVID-19

CTVS wants to remind patients that we are still performing essential vascular surgical procedures associated with dialysis treatment to all those suffering from kidney failure or End Stage Renal Disease.

Dialysis and hemodialysis treatments use medical equipment to take over the filtration of blood and other fluids when kidneys are functioning poorly. Poor kidney function is often due to issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure, chronic inflammation, heart disease, or extreme dehydration.

We want to stress that it is important not to delay any essential evaluation or procedures for dialysis access, if you need them.

The procedures associated with dialysis may include:

  • The placement or repair of Arteriovenous Fistulas to surgically join arteries or veins together in the arm for access during dialysis.
  • The insertion of Arteriovenous Grafts, or special tubes to join a vein and artery for dialysis access under the skin.
  • The insertion of Peritoneal Dialysis Catheters into the abdomen for dialysis treatment using the peritoneal dialysis method.

“These surgical procedures used to establish and maintain dialysis access to facilitate the care of our kidney failure patients are absolutely essential,” says CTVS board-certified vascular surgeon Dr. Scott Seidel. “Insufficient kidney function is a life-threatening condition in and of itself, and if dialysis access is not actively managed, it can leave patients even more vulnerable to additional problems such as COVID-19.”

What is CTVS doing to ensure these surgical procedures surrounding dialysis access are safe?

The safety of our patients is always of the utmost importance to us, especially now. Here’s what we are doing to ensure safer surgeries:

  • Instituting additional and rigorous personal protection protocols (such as requiring masks) across all of our office locations and our Office Based Labs (OBL).
  • Performing procedures in our OBL whenever possible to minimize hospital exposure.
  • Providing telemedicine appointments to our most vulnerable and immuno-compromised patients, especially as follow-up evaluations after
  • Adhering to rigid screening protocols for all who enter our facilities.

For questions about surgical access procedures associated with dialysis or for any of our vascular, thoracic, or cardiac services, please visit ctvstexas.com or call us at (512) 459-8753.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter and check our blog for regular updates.