You have a hemodialysis access in your arm, either an arteriovenous (AV) fistula or an artery to vein graft. It has been bleeding. Blood needs to flow freely through the fistula or graft. As part of your treatment, you are also taking medication that thins your blood. This makes you bleed more easily. It is important to stop your fistula or graft from bleeding as soon as possible.
It's important to care for your access to help it last. A problem such as an infection or a blood clot may make your access unusable. Follow these guidelines to help protect your access.
Before hemodialysis can be done, a way for blood to leave and return to your body (an access) is needed. A hemodialysis access is often made in your arm. The two main types of accesses are an arteriovenous fistula (AV fistula) and an arteriovenous graft (AV graft).
