Cannulation is a sterile procedure performed at home, and the discipline needs to match a clinical setting exactly.
What to know
- Wash hands thoroughly, then use alcohol hand rub, then put on clean gloves.
- Wash the access arm with soap and water before applying skin antiseptic.
- Apply antiseptic and allow the full contact time on the label before needling — this wait is the point of it.
- Do not touch the prepared site after antisepsis, and do not talk, cough or sneeze over it.
- Anyone else in the room during cannulation should keep back and wear a mask if unwell.
Talk to your care team
This topic is part of Vascular Access Care, one of ten modules in the Trivita Learning Hub. If anything here contradicts what your own nephrologist or dialysis nurse has told you, follow your care team — they know your prescription, your access and your history.
Trivita's dialysis nurses answer our care line 24 hours a day on 055 242 1070, including for people who are not yet our patients.
Education, not medical advice. This page explains home hemodialysis in general terms for patients and care partners in the UAE. It is reviewed by Trivita's Medical Director but cannot account for your individual circumstances. Never change a prescription, medication or technique based on this page alone.