access point where the dialysis machine can connect to the patient’s bloodstream.
Between the actual procedure and healing time, the process to prepare patients for dialysis usually takes 16 weeks – which would have threatened Song’s dreams of spending this year’s winter swimming in tropical waters.
Fortunately for Song, he had good-sized veins and was in otherwise good health, making him a good candidate for a less invasive procedure, called Ellipsys, that recently became available at Advocate South Suburban.
The 30-minute procedure requires a tiny incision in the patient’s arm. Then, the surgeon creates a natural port from healthy arm veins and arteries.
This procedure eliminates the need to insert a plastic port under the patient’s skin for access to the bloodstream like more traditional procedures.
Patients undergoing the procedure have less risk of infection. They are also typically healed and ready for dialysis in 6-8 weeks – half the traditional healing time.
“Ellipsys is a strong solution for patients like Mr. Song, who also have the potential to live decades longer with dialysis to keep them healthy,” Dr. Tanquilut says.
Song returned to his normal activities one day after his procedure, without the scars or lumps typical of other dialysis accesses. Today, he is looking forward to escaping the Midwest when the weather turns cold. “I am hoping for the best, that my health improves and that pretty soon I am going into the water,” he says.