Subcutaneous arteriovenous fistulas for dialysis with special emphasis on vascular insufficiency

Ninety-four subcutaneous arterio-venous fistulas were created for haemodialysis in 83 patients. Seventy-one patients eventually received well-functioning fistulas. The most common complication was thrombosis at the suture line. Thus, 8 primary fistulas clotted within 24 hours of surgery and 5 clotted later. Eleven patients were reoperated with a successful result in six. One patient developed arterial insufficiency in the hand with finger ulcerations, probably due to a radial steal syndrome. Four patients got extremely swollen hands and threatening gangraena because of thrombosis of the vein proximally to the anastomosis. Vital capillary microscopy in the patients with vascular insufficiency demonstrated profound changes of the nutritional capillaries which were not seen in control patients with well-functioning fistulas. After closure of the fistulas the edema disappeared and the ulcerations healed rapidly.