A short term haemodialysis catheter is usually a simple rigid double lumen catheter and the usual life span is a few weeks. It can be implanted easily for short term dialysis. If a patient needs more long term dialysis, it is possible to change it to a long term dialysis catheter, which is usually a tunneled catheter with a cuff for fixation. Examples of such catheters include the ‘Perm-cath’, the ‘Split-stream’ and the ‘Retro’ catheter.
Dr Ho Chung Ping demonstrated how to change a double lumen catheter to a tunneled catheter.