Procedure

Before the operation, the patient is informed about the course of the operation and the risks involved. If the patient agrees to the operation, the procedure can be performed. The surgery is performed under local or regional anesthesia.

In rare cases, it can also be performed under general anesthesia. The whole procedure takes about one hour. First, a small incision is made in the skin and then the vein and artery are located.

In the next step the vein is cut and one end is closed. The other end of the incision is sutured to the artery. If this is not possible, for example due to poor vein conditions, a plastic prosthesis can be sewn in as an artificial vein.

Before the skin is closed again, the blood flow through the shunt connection should be evaluated. After the operation, patients stay in hospital for a few days to detect any complications in time. The dialysis shunt can be punctured for the first time about six to eight weeks after the operation and used for dialysis. If a plastic prosthesis was used, the shunt can be used after about two weeks.

That’s how long a dialysis shunt has to stay in place

A dialysis shunt must always remain in place as long as it is needed for dialysis. In the case of diseases such as end-stage renal failure, for example, the shunt must remain in place until a kidney transplant has been performed in the best case. If dialysis is no longer necessary because the performance of the kidneys has improved or a kidney transplant has been performed, the shunt connection can be surgically interrupted with a suture.

However, it can also be left in place to be available again when needed. After a surgical shunt insertion, the dialysis shunt must be in place for about 6-8 weeks before it can be used for dialysis. If a plastic prosthesis was used during the operation, a puncture of the dialysis shunt is possible after about two weeks.