Proximal radial artery arteriovenous fistula for hemodialysis vascular access

This study reviewed our experience with proximal radial artery-based arteriovenous fistulas (PRA-AVFs) for hemodialysis vascular access, evaluating characteristics of the patients, functional patency, risk of steal syndrome, survival of the patient, and technical considerations.

We retrospectively analyzed our database of consecutive patients, identifying those individuals with a PRA-AVF created during a 12-year period. In addition to physical examination, all patients underwent ultrasound vessel mapping by the operating surgeon, identifying the PRA-AVF configuration and outflow target most likely to succeed.

PRA-AVFs were created in 1396 individuals during the 12-year study period. The mean age was 59 years (standard deviation, ±15.9 years); 717 (51%) patients were women, 819 (59%) were diabetic, and 394 (28%) were obese. A transposition procedure was required in 400 patients, and 189 (47%) of these were completed in two-staged operations. Preoperative characteristics with a negative impact on PRA-AVF cumulative patency included female gender (hazard ratio, 1.90; 95% confidence interval, 1.37-2.65), obesity (hazard ratio, 1.92; 95% confidence interval, 1.40-2.65), and younger age. Dialysis-associated steal syndrome (DASS) requiring an intervention occurred in 39 (2.8%) patients, and 85% of these were diabetic. The most common procedures required to restore hand perfusion while preserving the AVF were banding and outflow branch ligation or coil occlusion to decrease access flow. DASS emerged spontaneously in 15 (1.1%) of the patients, and 24 (1.7%) individuals developed hand ischemia requiring intervention after fistulography with balloon angioplasty of the PRA-AVF anastomosis during the first years of the study period. Limiting angioplasty balloon size for such patients avoided these uncommon angioplasty-induced DASS events in later years. Primary, primary assisted, and cumulative (secondary) patency rates were 60%, 90%, and 93% at 12 months and 47%, 86%, and 91% at 24 months, respectively. Follow-up was 0.7 to 127 months (median, 25 months).

PRA-AVFs offer excellent functional patency with low risk of dialysis access-related steal syndrome. The antecubital site has a wide range of venous outflow options for both direct PRA-AVFs and transposition procedures.