Kidney Disease & Treatment

Hemodialysis Access

Hemodialysis Access

Sound Vascular & Vein is an advanced outpatient medical facility focused on patient care and comfort.

We offer a broad range of medical services for patients from vascular physicians in Federal Way, Everett, and Bellingham.

You don’t need to drive to a hospital to get this level of advanced care. Welcome to Sound Vascular.

Interventional Radiology Treatment:

Whether you are new to dialysis or your fistula needs to be rested for various reasons, we can place a hemodialysis catheter in your vein that can be used for dialysis immediately.  We use the most advanced ultrasound and x-ray technology to successfully place your catheter. We can also fix clogged or clotted dialysis catheters.

Fistulogram

A fistulogram defines the anatomy of your dialysis fistula or graft.  We preform the procedure by inserting a small needle into the fistula/graft and injecting x-ray dye. 

 

A fistulogram may be requested for the following problems:

  • abnormal venous/arterial pressures
  • prolonged bleeding
  • difficulty with cannulation
  • abnormal physical exam
  • poor clearance, or low flow
Thrombolysis/Thrombectomy

Sometimes a dialysis fistula or graft becomes clotted, usually due to underlying narrowing of the veins.  Fortunately, the clots can be removed and the narrowing can be corrected thus restoring the flow to your graft or fistula.

If your dialysis provider determines that your fistula, graft, or catheter has clotted, it’s time for a call to Sound Vascular.  We will get you back to your dialysis unit for your usual dialysis quickly without the need for a costly and unnecessary hospitalization.

Angiogram

An angiogram is an imaging technique used in diagnosing and treating a variety of medical conditions. This allows your doctor to see a video or still image of your veins or arteries. Sound Vascular & Vein providers perform the angiography with a focus on customer comfort and convenience. Then, we can digitally provide the results to your doctor or hospital.

Angioplasty/Stent Placement

When a fistulogram confirms the presence of a narrowing in the dialysis fistula or the neighboring veins or arteries, it is necessary to treat the narrowing.  We correct this narrowing by placing an angioplasty balloon catheter across the narrowing and stretching it open.  Sometimes it is necessary to place a stent (a metallic cage) across the treatment area to obtain optimal results.  We take these measures to prevent the graft or fistula from clotting.

Fistula Maturation Procedures

A vascular surgeon will sometimes place a fistula in your arm or leg.  The fistula is a connection between your own vein and artery.  It takes time for the vein to enlarge and strengthen, this process is called “fistula maturation.”  If this process does not occur in a timely manner (e.g. within six weeks), a fistulogram may be performed.  This will tell us why the fistula has not matured properly and what techniques we can use to resume the maturation process.

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Meet the Providers

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Laura L. Slee,
DNP

Anna Cairns,
ARNP

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Peter Gregory,
MD, RPVI

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IAC

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ABVLM Certified

First Class Care

Foremost Comprehensive Endovascular Treatment Center In Puget Sound  

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