The Serrano Kidney and Vascular Access Center offers fistula grafts as a way to replace a natural conduit to carry blood between two arteries.

A fistula is an abnormal connection between an organ, vessel, or intestine and another structure. Fistulas are usually the result of injury or surgery.

The Serrano Kidney and Vascular Access Center (KVAC) of California offers fistula grafts as a way to replace a natural conduit to carry blood between two arteries. We also provide fistula grafts as placement of an artificial conduit between an artery and vein of the forearm for use in hemodialysis.

Serrano KVAC serves the following communities; Huntington Park, Pico Rivera, San Gabriel, Inglewood, Compton, Downey, Whittier, Glendale, Pasadena, and the Los Angeles, California area.

Peritoneal dialysis offered by the Serrano Kidney and Vascular Access Center, is a treatment for patients with severe chronic kidney disease.The process uses the patient’s peritoneum in the abdomen as a membrane across which fluids and dissolved substances (electrolytes, urea, glucose, albumin and other small molecules) are exchanged from the blood. Fluid is introduced through a permanent catheter tube in the abdomen and flushed out either every night while the patient sleeps (automatic peritoneal dialysis), or via regular exchanges throughout the day (continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis).

A peritoneal dialysis catheter is used as an alternative to hemodialysis though it is far less common. It has comparable risks and expenses, with the primary advantage being the ability to undertake treatment without visiting a medical facility. The primary complication with peritoneal dialysis is a risk of infection due to the presence of a permanent catheter in the abdomen.

For a patient whose kidneys have failed due to kidney disease, the Serrano Kidney and Vascular Access Center (KVAC) of California provides a tunneled dialysis catheter to gain venous access, or access to the blood system.

Tunneled dialysis catheters have an opening for blood flow out of the body and another opening for blood return after it flows through the dialysis machine. Tunneled dialysis catheters are usually inserted in the chest or neck.

Thrombectomy offered by the Serrano Kidney and Vascular Access Center (KVAC) of California is the surgical removal of a blood clot from a vein or an artery. For most instances medication is given to break down the blood clot and thin the blood.Thrombectomy is used more rarely when immediate removal of a blood clot is needed.

In a thrombectomy, the clot is usually accessed via a dialysis access catheter, and removal may be followed by placement of a stent or filter. Medication might be used to prevent further clotting at the area. There are some people who may require thrombectomy due to other issues. Those who are unable to take blood thinners long term may need a thrombectomy. In emergency situations when people have deep vein thrombosis that threatens the health of a limb or a clot in the pulmonary arteries, surgical removal can be preferred.

Peripheral artery disease is a common circulatory problem in which narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to your limbs. When you develop peripheral artery disease, your extremities — usually your legs — don’t receive enough blood flow to keep up with demand. This causes symptoms, most notably leg pain when walking.

Serrano Kidney and Vascular Access Center (KVAC) of California offers coiling and embolization of access and peripheral as a treatment for peripheral artery disease. Coiling embolization is a catheter-based procedure that allows precise closure of abnormal blood flow in a blood vessel.

The Serrano Kidney and Vascular Access Center (KVAC) of California specializes in the placement and removal of PICC lines. A PICC line is a peripherally inserted central catheter that is inserted to gain venous access. A PICC line is to a standard IV because it is inserted in the arm, however, PICC line insertions are less invasive, and allow for treatment that could not be obtained from standard peripheral IV access. They also have decreased complication risk associated with them, and remain for a much longer duration than other venous access devices.

The Serrano Kidney and Vascular Access Center (KVAC) of California specializes in the insertion and removal of port-a-cath devices. A port-a-cath is a device that is placed under your skin that is used to make the administration of chemotherapy and blood drawing easier.

A port-a-cath is used to eliminate strain on your veins and it can also reduce the risk of certain chemotherapy related complications, including chemotherapy drugs that leak from the veins in to the surrounding tissues. Such damage could be very dangerous and difficult to treat. A port-a-cath eliminates many of these complications.

The Serrano Kidney and Vascular Access Center (KVAC) of California offers angioplasty and stent placement for patients with circulatory problems that cause swollen legs and arms. Angioplasty with or without vascular stenting is a minimally invasive procedure performed to improve blood flow in the body’s arteries and veins.

In an angioplasty procedure, imaging techniques are used to guide a balloon-tipped catheter, a long, thin plastic tube, into an artery or vein and advance it to where the vessel is narrow or blocked. The balloon is then inflated to open the vessel, deflated and removed.

During angioplasty, a small wire mesh tube called a stent may be permanently placed in the newly opened artery or vein to help it remain open.