Patient Stories: Rick O. Needed Fistula for Kidney Failure

I am a dialysis patient because of my kidney failure and decided to have a fistula put in my arm.

The first time I met Todd Kooy, MD, was at the hospital. He did the “mapping” for my fistula before my surgery. He was great and made an excellent first impression. The fistula didn’t work properly the first time the dialysis team tried to use it. They sent me to Dr. Kooy for a fistulagram to see if he would be able to open it up. Several times, he was successful at balloon angioplasty, but it kept closing down. He finally put a stent in, and the rest is history. Success! Previously I had my fistulagrams done at the hospital, but I was lucky enough to switch over to the RIA Interventional Suite. Wow — it was a completely different experience. The windows, the view, the ease of scheduling and the staff made it a seamless process. Outpatient services is definitely a better option for me.

Dr. Kooy is so kind. He told me he was glad I was there with him because he KNEW he could help me. His confidence and great demeanor put me at ease. He patiently answered all my questions and never made me feel like he was in a hurry. That was very important to me. Being at the RIA Interventional Suite was great for many reasons. My relationship with Dr. Kooy is solid.

I loved talking to Nurse Jess. She made me feel comfortable before, during and after the procedure. It was great to have one nurse for my entire experience. It was great to see Rad Tech Michael. I have known him for a while, and we were able to catch up. Such a great team! If I had to rate my experience from 1 to 10, I would give RIA Endovascular a solid 20!

Dr. Kooy has helped me multiple times, and I feel like this last experience was a true miracle. RIA Interventional Suite is the only place I will ever go to have a fistulagram. Thank you, Dr. Kooy and Team RIA!