Buttonhole Cannulation

The buttonhole method for the cannulation of the arteriovenous fistula was discovered more than 40 years ago and was soon adopted on a wide scale due to its obvious benefits of decreased puncture pain and extension of the life of the arteriovenous fistula. Following reports of complications such as a higher incidence of access-related infections, the method has lately been the subject of intense scrutiny; recent research has focused on the mechanisms of buttonhole access-related infections and n