Vascular access for hemodialysis

BACKGROUND: In this study, we aimed at clarifying the usefulness of drug-coated balloon catheters (DCBs) for arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) that repeatedly undergo restenosis over a short period and to examine the factors that influence the patency period after DCB use. METHODS: This retrospective observational study was conducted using IN.PACT AV in 29 cases of AVFs with repeated restenosis within approximately 3 months, and temporary patency before and after DCB use in the same patients was compared...

In 1988, the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) defined essential procedural skills in nephrology, and candidates for ABIM certification were required to present evidence of possessing the skills necessary for placement of temporary dialysis vascular access, hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and percutaneous renal biopsy. In 1996, continuous renal replacement therapy was added to the list of nephrology requirements. These procedure requirements have not been modified since 1996 while the practice of nephrology has changed dramatically...

Arteriovenous grafts (AVGs) provide vascular access for hemodialysis in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). However, vascular access thrombosis often occurs, requiring frequent reinterventions to maintain access patency. This report describes the successful use of the InThrill Thrombectomy System (Irvine, CA: Inari Medical) for macerating and removing thrombus from an occluded and heavily thrombosed AVG. A 47-year-old male was sent to our institute for a thrombosed right upper extremity arteriovenous access with a HeRO graft (South Jordan, UT: Merit Medical)...

Arteriovenous grafts (AVGs) have emerged as the preferred option for constructing hemodialysis access in numerous patients. Clinical trials have demonstrated that decellularized vascular graft exhibits superior patency and excellent biocompatibility compared to polymer materials; however, it still faces challenges such as intimal hyperplasia and luminal dilation. The absence of suitable animal models hinders our ability to describe and explain the pathological phenomena above and in vivo adaptation process of decellularized vascular graft at the molecular level...

Objective : Hemodialysis (HD) catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs) are a major complication of long-/short-term catheter. Material and Methods : Patients with HD CRBSIs were identified, and their blood was taken and sent to clinical pathology for culture and sensitivity testing. The inclusion criteria were adults with end-stage renal disease who required urgent HD access in the presence of a central venous catheter (CVC) infection. Results : The most common isolates among the patients with CRBSIs were gram-positive microorganisms (57...

AIMS: The increasing prevalence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in the United States (US) represents a considerable economic burden due to the high cost of dialysis treatment. This review examines data from real-world studies to identify cost drivers and explore areas where dialysis costs could be reduced. METHODS: We identified and synthesized evidence published from 2016-2023 reporting direct dialysis costs in adult US patients from a comprehensive literature search of MEDLINE, Embase, and grey literature sources (eg, US Renal Data System reports)...

INTRODUCTION: In hemodialysis patients, pain associated with needle insertion into an arteriovenous fistula is a physical and psychological problem. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of pre-puncture application of an ice pack, EMLA cream, or lidocaine spray to reduce pain associated with access puncture. METHODS: This was a multicenter study done in nine hemodialysis centers in Iraq. The study utilized a randomized, parallel-group design, in which patients being dialyzed using an arteriovenous access were allocated into one of four groups...

BACKGROUND: Failure to achieve timely arteriovenous fistulae (AVF) utilization due to excessive depth (>6mm) remains an ongoing concern for dialysis access. This study evaluates the outcomes of radio cephalic (RCF) and brachiocephalic (BCF) fistula elevation required for access utilization. METHODS: A retrospective review of all patients undergoing first-time autologous access over 10 years was undertaken. RCF and BCF were analyzed, and cases of initial access failure due to depth alone were selected for study...

INTRODUCTION: Pre-operative process optimization can expedite time-to-intervention and reduce overall health care costs. We hypothesized that the longest delay to hemodialysis (HD) access creation would be from pre-operative vessel mapping (mandatory in our practice), and that this would be correlated with increased catheter days. METHODS: One hundred thirty patients (24 inpatients, 106 outpatients) who received initial hemodialysis (HD) access from 01/01/2017 to 12/31/2021, at the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound, Seattle, Washington, were identified...

BACKGROUND: Autogenous arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the preferred vascular access mode. However, the earliest possible time for AVF puncture and whether premature puncture affects the AVF patency rate remain unclear. METHODS: In this multicenter retrospective cohort study, adult uremic patients who underwent AVF surgery for the first time at Taizhou Hospital or Enze Hospital of Zhejiang Province between September 1, 2018 and August 31, 2021 were enrolled. All patients were followed up for 1 year after puncture, and the status of fistula establishment and puncture, subsequent patency, loss to follow-up, renal transplantation, conversion to peritoneal dialysis, abandonment of the fistula, and death, were recorded...

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical characteristics of hemodialysis patients with corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a single-center from Beijing. METHODS: Patients with COVID-19 who received regular hemodialysis at Peking University Third Hospital from November 30, 2022 to January 4, 2023 were selected as the study objects. Clinical symptoms, severity and duration of symptoms during the period of virus positive were investigated in the form of questionnaires, and the basic information of the patients, as well as the results of blood tests (routine blood and blood biochemistry, etc ...

Hand dysfunction is a common observation after arteriovenous fistula (AVF) creation for hemodialysis access and has a variable clinical phenotype; however, the underlying mechanism responsible is unclear. Grip strength changes are a common metric used to assess AVF-associated hand disability but has previously been found to poorly correlate with the hemodynamic perturbations post-AVF placement implicating other tissue-level factors as drivers of hand outcomes. In this study, we sought to test if expression of a mitochondrial targeted catalase (mCAT) in skeletal muscle could reduce AVF-related limb dysfunction in mice with chronic kidney disease (CKD)...

For hemodialysis-dependent patients, maintaining functional access is a crucial lifeline. Thrombosed access should be salvaged as soon as possible to avoid complications of missed dialysis and to maximize the chance of success. Due to unfortunate circumstances, this patient's thrombosed arteriovenous fistula was not salvaged for 7 months. Despite the chronicity, endovascular salvage was achieved, with subsequent successful cannulation for maintenance dialysis. Contrary to conventional wisdom, chronically thrombosed arteriovenous fistulas can be salvaged through endovascular means with appropriate patient selection...

Spurious hyperphosphatemia, also known as pseudo-hyperphosphatemia, refers to artifactually elevated serum phosphate values that do not correspond to their actual systemic levels. Vascular access poses a significant challenge for individuals undergoing hemodialysis (HD) due to chronic kidney disease, primarily attributed to the elevated incidence of complications, such as infections or thrombosis associated with catheter use. To mitigate clotting risk during the inter-dialysis intervals, in recent years, a strategy involving the application of concentrated heparin (recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) e...

OBJECTIVE: To observe the multi-slice spiral CT angiography (MSCTA) imaging features of arteriovenous fistula dysfunction in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis and analyze the significance of the imaging examination. METHODS: Altogether 90 patients with end-stage renal disease treated by maintenance hemodialysis in General Hospital of China Resources & Wisco from June 2020 to February 2023 were divided into a normal function group (n=68) and a dysfunction group (n=22) according to the function of autogenous arteriovenous fistula...

Introduction Arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) are the preferred type of vascular access for hemodialysis due to their lower risk of complications. This study aimed to determine the role of Doppler evaluation in assessing AVF. Materials and methods We conducted an 18-month prospective observational study of 33 hemodialysis patients who underwent a procedure for the creation of AVF at the Department of Radio-Diagnosis at Sri Devaraj Urs Academy of Higher Education and Research. Patients were evaluated using color Doppler ultrasound...

OBJECTIVES: After forearm and arm cephalic veins are no longer available as options, the choices of arm vascular access between one-staged brachial-basilic vein transposition (BBAVF) and arm straight arteriovenous graft (AS-AVG) for hemodialysis are controversial. This study aims to compare outcomes between groups. METHODS: All one-staged BBAVF and AS-AVG from August 2014 to December 2019 were reviewed. In cases of suitable basilic vein of 3 mm or more present from cubital crease to axilla, one-staged BBAVF was preferred...

OBJECTIVES: Some studies suggest that regional (RA) provides better patency for arteriovenous fistula (AVF) for hemodialysis (HD) access as compared to Local (LA) and General Anesthesia (GA). This study evaluates the impact of anesthetic modality on long term fistula function at 12 months. METHODS: A retrospective review of patients undergoing cephalic vein-based HD access in consecutive cases between 2014 and 2019 was conducted from five safety net hospitals. The primary endpoint was functional patency at 12 months...

OBJECTIVE: To develop and evaluate a novel feature selection technique, using photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors, for enhancing the performance of deep learning models in classifying vascular access quality in hemodialysis patients. METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved creating a novel feature selection method based on SelectKBest principles, specifically designed to optimize deep learning models for PPG sensor data, in hemodialysis patients. The method effectiveness was assessed by comparing the performance of multiple deep learning models using the feature selection approach versus complete feature set...

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to collect evidence to improve the arteriovenous fistula practice by investigating vascular access routes and by identifying the factors influencing the preferred types of vascular access routes for the first-time hemodialysis in our center. METHODS: We performed an epidemiological, prospective, cohort study. The study included 308 patients, who underwent hemodialysis for the first time between March 2023 and August 2023 in our hemodialysis center...