When the carotid arteries are healthy, the brain gets all the oxygen and nutrients it needs to function well. If the carotid arteries are damaged, however, it can greatly increase your chances of stroke.

Your healthcare provider will teach you how to care for your catheter and exit site. Good care is important to prevent infection. If an infection occurs, the catheter may have to be taken out. A new one will have to be put in at a later date.

Before hemodialysis can be done, a way for blood to leave and return to your body (an access) is needed. A hemodialysis access is often made in your arm. The 2 main types of accesses are an arteriovenous fistula (AV fistula) and an arteriovenous graft (AV graft).

It's important to take proper care of your central venous access device. Here's how.

A central line is often used instead of a standard I.V. line when you need treatment for longer than a week or so. The line can send medicine or nutrition right into your bloodstream.

Leg veins carry blood from your feet back to your heart. If a vein is damaged, blood flow back to the heart is reduced. As a result, you may develop vein problems in your legs.

Kidney failure and its treatment will mean making some changes. But you can still live a full life with kidney failure. Read on to learn more.

A varicocele is when the veins in your scrotum are enlarged. Your doctor may advise surgery or another procedure to close off the enlarged veins. Read on for more details about these treatments.

A step-by-step look at how to get and keep an erection with a vacuum erection therapy system.

The kidneys' main job is to clean the blood. They filter wastes and excess fluids from thousands of pints of blood each day. Learn about their other roles as well.