The UK Vascular Access Survey--follow-up data and repeat survey (chapter 5)

In the 2006 Vascular Access Survey, 51% of all patients commenced renal replacement therapy (RRT) using definitive access. Of patients commencing on haemodialysis HD, 37% commenced with definitive access (31% in the 2005 survey). Of those known to the renal units for a year or more, only half started HD with definitive access. Around 4% of patients currently receiving HD were in-patients. Around 30% of staphylococcal line infections were methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which was similar to the 2005 survey. At 6 months after starting RRT, 76% of live patients were using definitive access [defined as the use of peritoneal dialysis (PD), transplant, arteriovenous fistula (AVF) or arteriovenous graft (AVG)] and at 12 months it was 80%. Of the HD patients starting RRT in April 2005, 65% started using venous catheters, at 6 months this had fallen to 35% and at 12 months to 30%. The use of non-tunnelled lines was <1% by 6 months. The proportion on PD had fallen slightly at 12 months (from 20% to 16%) by which time 11% had received a transplant, 1% had recovered and 18% had died. Data returns for the 2006 survey were returned from 37/74 renal units compared with returns from 62 units in the 2005 survey.