Can Diastat Grafts Meet the Challenges of Daily Punctures?

To determine whether Diastat grafts can meet the challenges of daily needle punctures required for home hemodialysis (HD), a retrospective analysis was performed on the experience with 47 grafts placed in 44 patients receiving HD three times a week. The control group consisted of 17 patients who received 17 stretch polytetrafluoroethylene (s-PTFE) grafts. Apart from their ability to better contain bleeding after needle withdrawal, in all measures of longevity the Diastat grafts were outperformed by the s-PTFE grafts. No more direct data exist to address the original challenge.