Vascular Access Clinic

The Vascular Access Clinic brings together a surgeon, nephrologist and vascular access nurse in a clinic with two primary functions. The first function is to assess for the creation of an access, either a fistula or graft, for patients who will be needing hemodialysis in the near future. The second function of the clinic is to monitor and treat existing accesses that may have developed problems. Of the two types of accesses, fistulae and grafts, fistulae are generally the best option and have fewer associated problems. Fistulae are created during a minor surgery in which a vein is joined to an artery. Over a period of 2-3 months after surgery, the vein becomes larger allowing it to be used for hemodialysis access. A graft is a synthetic piece of material which is placed within an arm or leg when a person's veins are not optimal for a fistula.

St. Paul's Hospital
6A Providence Building
1081 Burrard Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6
Tel: (604) 682-2344 loc 62421
Fax: (604) 806-9653