For every patient requiring dialysis they will also require Temporary and/or Permanent Renal Access. Those patients requiring peritoneal dialysis will require a permanent surgically placed tenckhoff catheter. Those patients requiring urgent haemodialysis will require Temporary Access such as the Insertion of a Permcath until Permanent Renal Access such as a Fistula can be created and matured. From 2003 our Renal Activity data demonstrate that Renal Access Rates are "soaring" at an alarming rate.

Our activity data demonstrates the top Radiological procedures performed on Ward 4BR, the Acute Renal Inpatient Unit at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia is the Insertion of the Permcath and the Rewiring of the Permcath. The Total Number of Insertion of Permcaths is increasing every year and can be clearly demonstrated from 2003 onwards.

Closely following are the top 3 Renal-Surgical procedures which our data demonstrates are Creation of Fistulas, Revision of fistulas and Insertion of Tenckhoff Catheters followed by Parathyroidectomies / Subtotal Parathryoidectomies and Amputations. This has been a very labour intensive process and our nursing staff have been collecting this data manually since 2002/2003 and continue to do so.

This is not encouraging when our hospitals are all ready at capacity and our Haemodialysis Units are already sending out "Haemodialysis Capacity Crisis Alerts" to South East Queensland daily.