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Clopidogrel diminishes hemodialysis access graft thrombosis

H Trimarchi1, P Young, M Forrester

  • 1Nephrology Section, Department of Medicine, Hospital Británico de Buenos Aires, Argentina. htrimarchi@hotmail.com

The Journal of Vascular Access
|March 23, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Clopidogrel significantly reduced thrombosis in hemodialysis access grafts. Patients receiving clopidogrel experienced longer graft patency, more time on hemodialysis, and improved survival rates, with no major bleeding events reported.

Area of Science:

  • Nephrology
  • Vascular Surgery
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Thrombosis is a frequent complication of hemodialysis access grafts.
  • Anti-thrombotic therapy, specifically clopidogrel, was investigated to mitigate this risk.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of clopidogrel in preventing thrombosis in hemodialysis access grafts.
  • To assess the impact of clopidogrel on graft patency, hemodialysis duration, and patient survival.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 19 chronic hemodialysis patients with vascular access grafts was studied.
  • Patients were divided into two groups: one without anti-thrombotic therapy (Group A) and one receiving clopidogrel (Group B).
  • Outcomes including thrombotic episodes, graft patency, and survival were compared between groups.

Main Results:

  • Group B (clopidogrel) showed no thrombotic episodes, compared to 10 in Group A (p<0.001).
  • Graft patency was significantly longer in Group B (350.8 days) versus Group A (86.8 days) (p<0.001).
  • Patients on clopidogrel had longer hemodialysis duration and improved survival (p=0.001), with no major bleeding.

Conclusions:

  • Clopidogrel effectively reduces thrombotic episodes in hemodialysis access grafts.
  • Clopidogrel administration is associated with enhanced vascular access patency, extended hemodialysis time, and increased patient survival.
  • The study supports clopidogrel as a beneficial intervention for hemodialysis patients with access grafts.
Abstract

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