If you are on hemodialysis, your access, whether a fistula or a graft, is your lifeline. When it clots or narrows, you need it fixed fast. First Coast Cardiovascular Institute has performed thousands of dialysis access procedures in its outpatient cath labs in both Duval and Putnam counties, so Putnam patients can often get this care close to home.
FCCI has a 10-year tradition of caring for people with chronic kidney disease. Here is what that care covers.
Fistula and graft care
- Angiograms to see the access
- Declotting (thrombectomy)
- Angioplasty and stent placement
- Repair of bulges in the access with an endograft
- Embolization management
- Management of access steal syndrome, including the miller banding procedure
Ultrasound services
- Artery and vein ultrasound
- DVT studies
- Mapping before a fistula is made
- Central vein studies
Catheters and quick labs
The team can remove tunneled dialysis catheters and place temporary catheters for emergency dialysis. FCCI does not place tunneled catheters. Point-of-care labs, like stat potassium and hemoglobin, help the team make quick decisions on the spot.
Teamwork with your kidney doctor
FCCI's cardiologists work closely with your nephrologist and dialysis center. Your care team gets immediate feedback, including whether dialysis is needed urgently or can safely happen the next day. On-site treatments for high potassium and on-site echo evaluations help avoid hospital stays when possible. FCCI says this approach has reduced infections, hospital trips and catheters for its patients.
Getting scheduled
Usually your kidney doctor or dialysis center will contact FCCI. You or a family member can also call the Palatka office at 386.325.2836 with questions. Patients from Palatka, East Palatka, San Mateo, Interlachen and Crescent City can ask about being seen at the Palatka outpatient lab.
Questions to ask at your visit
Questions for your dialysis access check:
- Can my access procedure be done in Palatka?
- How will you update my kidney doctor?
- What signs mean my access is clotting?
- Will I need dialysis the same day?
- How long is recovery?
Care close to home in Palatka
Dialysis access care is done at 205 Zeagler Drive, Suite 101 in Palatka, where the accredited outpatient cath lab can work on fistulas and grafts. That saves Putnam County dialysis patients a trip on top of an already busy week.
FCCI has served Northeast Florida since 2002, and hemodialysis access management is one of the procedures its cath labs perform. If an access problem leads to an admission at HCA Florida Putnam Hospital, FCCI physicians cover there around the clock.
Why patients choose FCCI
Dialysis patients in Palatka may see familiar local providers like Cecilia Pitts, APRN, a former nurse at Putnam Community Medical Center, and Kortney Winkleman, APRN, who grew up in Putnam County.
Call the office on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to schedule an access check around your dialysis days. Sudden bleeding or severe symptoms need 911, not a phone message.
Has your dialysis center flagged a problem with your access? Call 386.325.2836, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or request a visit online, leaving the medical details for the phone.
