Risk factors for early failure of native arteriovenous fistulas

• Published in: Nephron. Clinical practice Vol. 101; no. 1; p. c39
• Main Authors: Ernandez, T, Saudan, P, Berney, T, Merminod, T, Bednarkiewicz, M, Martin, P-Y
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland 01-01-2005
• Subjects: Adult; Age Factors; Aged; Arteriovenous Shunt, Surgical - adverse effects; Diabetes Complications - etiology; Female; Humans; Logistic Models; Male; Middle Aged; Renal Dialysis; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Sex Factors; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Duplex
• ISSN: 1660-2110
• DOI: 10.1159/000085710

Current guidelines recommend native arteriovenous fistulas (AVF) as the vascular access of choice for hemodialysis on account of the lower incidence of complications. However, this kind of vascular access has a high rate of early failure (early thrombosis or non-maturation). Our aim was to examine whether clear risk factors for early AVF failure could be identified in our patients.
Data of all patients who underwent creation of an AVF at the Geneva University Hospital from January 1998 to December 2002 were reviewed. Early failure was defined as a non-functioning fistula (thrombosis or absence of fistula maturation).
119 patients underwent the creation of 148 native AVF, 88 (59.5%) in the forearm and 60 (40.5%) in the upper arm. 48 (32.4%) fistulae were created in diabetic patients. In a multiple logistic regression analysis, significant predictive factors of early failure were a distal location (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 8.21, 95% CI = 2.63-25.63, p < 0.001), female gender (aOR = 4.04, 95% CI = 1.44-11.30, p = 0.008), level of surgical expertise (aOR = 3.97, 95% CI = 1.39-11.32, p = 0.010) and diabetes mellitus (aOR = 3.19, 95% CI = 1.17-8.71, p = 0.024).
Early failure of AVF occurs mainly in forearm sites among women and diabetic patients. Surgical expertise has also a significant influence. These results suggest that selection of a distal site for a native AVF has to be rigorously made for women and diabetic patients and that surgeon's dedication is of primary importance to avoid early AVF failure occurrence.