Introduction:
Arteriovenous fistula (AVF) failures are common in hemodialysis patients, with several associated factors.
Methods:
This comprehensive clinical audit, conducted from January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2022, focused on patients aged at least 16 who underwent iterative hemodialysis and had at least one arteriovenous fistula created at any point during the treatment.
Results:
208 AVFs in 193 patients, including 113 men (58.55%), giving a sex ratio of 1.52. The mean age was 44.86 ± 13 years. Twenty-four patients (12.44%) started chronic haemodialysis with AVF. One hundred and seventy-five patients (90.67% at the time of our study) were dialysing with a native AVF. One hundred and twenty-six patients (65.28%) had their first distal radiocephalic AVF. A total of 50 AVFs failed during the study period, of which 26 AVFs (52%) were primary failures and 24 AVFs (48%) were secondary failures. Of the 24 secondarily failed AVFs, thrombosis occurred in 18 (75%), with a mean lifespan of 60 months. The use of a CVC and age over 65 hurt AVFs. Female gender and vascular mapping had a positive impact on AVFs.Results: 208 AVFs in 193 patients, including 113 men (58.55%), resulting in a sex ratio of 1.52. The average age was 44.86 ± 13 years. Twenty-four patients, or 12.44%, started chronic hemodialysis with an AVF. One hundred seventy-five patients, or 90.67% at the time of our study, were dialysing with a native AVF. One hundred twenty-six patients, or 65.28%, had their first AVF in the distal radiocephalic location. In total, 50 AVFs failed during the study period, of which 26 AVFs (52%) were primary failures and 24 AVFs (48%) were secondary failures. Among the 24 AVF that experienced secondary failure, thrombosis was found in 18 AVF (75%) with an average lifespan of 60 months. The use of a CVC and age over 65 negatively impacted the AVFs, while female sex and vascular mapping had a positive impact.
Conclusions:
Our study has identified several key factors associated with AVF failure, including the use of CVCs, age over 65, female gender, and vascular mapping. These findings have the potential to impact the management of hemodialysis patients significantly.
I have no potential conflict of interest to disclose.
I did not use generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process.