Purpose: Patency of the arteriovenous fistula remains the most important support for patients with end stage renal disease. Prosthetic materials have been used only when autogenous arteriovenous fistula procedure is not feasible, because of the relatively low patency in prosthetic arteriovenous fistula. We designed this study to determine the appropriateness of primary prosthetic arteriovenous fistula.
Method: Twenty-one consecutive patients who underwent prosthetic arteriovenous fistula formation on the arm in Chosun university hospital from Mar. 1998 to Feb. 2001 were retrospectively analysed.
Result: The median patency in radio-antecubital fistula, brachio-antecubital fistula, and brachio-axillary fistula was 9.6, 11.4, and 16.6 months, respectively. The primary assisted patency rates in radio-antecubital fistula and brachio-antecubital fistula were 44.9% and 70.0% at the first year, respectively (P=0.03). The secondary patency rates in radio-antecubital fistula and brachio-antecubital fistula were 71.4% and 80.0% at the first year and 28.6% and 48.0% at the second year, respectively (0.02).
Conclusion: The patency rates according to the site of prosthetic arteriovenous fistula were statistically significant in the radio-antecubital fistula and brachio-antecubital fistula groups. Nevertheless, the patency rates of the brachio-axillary fistula group were statistically insignificant. Primary brachio-antecubital fistula with PTFE creation showed favorable patency rates and many other benefits. Therefore, we suggest primary brachio-antecubital fistula with PTFE as the appropriate arteriovenous access in patients with poor vessel condition.
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