EDISON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A medical study by William C Bauer shows how thousands of “lifeline” failures can be prevented, by an improved approach to needle insertion (cannulation) during dialysis.
Cannulation is a time of stress, pain and risk. A worst case is when the lifeline (arterial/venous access) must be replaced. For over 70,000 dialysis patients whose lifeline is a graft, this risk increases as graft material weakens with cannulation over time.
Commenting on Bauer’s latest technology, Sandip Kapur, MD, FACS, Chief, Division of Transplant Surgery, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Transplant Center. “A major reason for graft failure is cannulation and this approach needs to be adopted.”
The concept is simple: Cannulate different locations to reduce the risk of weakening a particular area of the graft. An Outline is drawn (to “graph” the graft) on transparency film to plan, rotate and track cannulation sites for each treatment.
For one study patient (her 3rd graft): The graft endured for 6+ years, which is 3 times longer than each of the patient’s two prior grafts.
Bauer, a certified lead auditor for dialysis quality management continues, “Patients can improve ownership of their health and seek better outcomes. Patients with grafts can ask their practitioner to track and alternate the site of cannulation with likely benefit – extended longevity.”
When grafts fail, patient challenges and associated costs typically include:
• Temporary lifeline for alternative cannulation
• Procedures & diagnostics
• Surgery for the new lifeline
By extending life expectancy of grafts, CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) savings of $5M/year are predicted.
“An Improved Approach to Graph Cannulation” is published in D&T (Dialysis & Transplantation), September 2011, © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, author William C Bauer, at: //onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/dat.20610/pdf
More information and a “Start-up Kit” (raw materials for the approach) are available from William C Bauer Consulting Service LLC at: DialysisQualityManager.com
The author, William C Bauer, is a former Bell Labs engineer who received Bellcore’s President’s Recognition Award (1996). After a family member began dialysis, Bill became a Dialysis Quality Manager (1997). He continues as an RABQSA-certified Quality Management System Lead Auditor and leads seminars for patients and families (his favorite role).