How Branchiocephalic Fistula works

 Pateients that are diagnosed  end stage renal failure (ESRF)  mostly require to perform dialysis treatment. Principally, dialysis is process  of cycling and filter patients blood outside their body through a special filter called dialyzer. Method used to access the vein and artery for dialysis is called branchiocephalic fistula (BCF).

BCF consider permanent and stable access to kidney failure patients.  To create BCF , a surgeon will joins an artery  in arm to a vein  through anastomosis (fistula)  that will made the blood flow rapidly by pass the cappillaries. Once the fistula mature  (6 to 8 weeks) the patients can start the dialysis treament. At this time the   the blood vesesels and vein wall are already enlarge and ready to be dialized. During the treatment procedures, two needles are inserted in to the fistula vein, arterial needle draws blood from the upstream location while veneous needle returns the blood downstreams. This sequence will prevents  partial recycling of blood that alreadly filtered by dialysis machine which could lead to less effective of the treatment.

Clotting of acess can happen and a blood thinner called Heparin is injected in to the acess to  relieve the access tunnel.  There are 4 suggessted  acess points for dialysis patients, one lower and another upper  for both  arms. Even BCF consider as parmanent access ,  it can become malfunction due to numerous factors like  clotting and hard labor of BCF  hand . Some BCF lasted for a year or even 5 to 10 years. By estimating 5 year  of BCF   life span for each acess, a kidney patient has 20 years  to be dialized  and stay alive almost healthily. This also must considering  how meticulous the patients safe guard their BCF.