Kidney patients offered ‘risky’ technique, BBC told

Buttonholing, on the other hand, involves putting needles into the same hole each time. This is safe for those with fistulas, but for those using grafts, it “has always been avoided… due to the risk of infection and graft degradation”, according to the UK Kidney Association guidelines which are used throughout the NHS. It says only rope-laddering is recommended for grafts.