I'm Dr. Joshua Schwimmer, a nephrologist and internal medicine physician in New York City. • Kidney Notes was the first active nephrology blog. (Trivia: Kidney Notes is so old that the National Library of Medicine still uses it as an example of how to formally cite blogs.) • Professionally, you can find me at Kidney.nyc. • Kidney Notes is for educational purposes only, not medical advice. Consult qualified health care professionals. See disclaimer.

Thursday, May 4, 2006

The "Femoral First" Initiative

The "fistula first" initiative is a push to have more arteriovenous fistulas placed in chronic kidney disease patients prior to their first dialysis session. (This is the best way to receive hemodialysis.)

At an institution where many first dialysis sessions are performed in patients with poor access to medical care, I heard a nephrology fellow wryly refer to the "catheter first" or "femoral first" initiative. (This is the worst way to receive hemodialysis.)