Good cannulation technique is the single skill that most affects both comfort and the working life of your fistula.
What to know
- Assess the fistula first: feel the direction, depth and course of the vessel before choosing a site.
- Arterial needle points toward the anastomosis, venous needle points away, with adequate separation between them.
- Insert at the angle taught for your access depth, then flatten and advance smoothly.
- Secure needles with tape in the pattern you were trained to use — needle dislodgement is a serious event.
- If a cannulation fails, do not repeatedly probe. Withdraw, apply pressure and use a fresh needle at a new site.
Talk to your care team
This topic is part of The Treatment Session, 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.