Bedside Ultrasonography for Arteriovenous Fistula Cannulation

Difficulty in accessing a new arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is a common technical issue in hemodialysis patients, which often leads to interventional radiology and/or vascular surgery referral. As a consequence, the patient who needs dialysis may require a temporary dialysis catheter with its known potential complications. We present a case where bedside ultrasonography facilitated successful cannulation of a difficult AVF. Ultrasonography (US) training in this procedure may allow early cannulation of new AVFs when the venous diameter is large enough (>0.6 cm) but the fistula is too deep (>0.6 cm). Real-time, US-guided AVF cannulation may also decrease the number of failed venous punctures per hemodialysis (HD) session minimizing vessel wall damage and subsequent potential hematoma and aneurysm formation.