ESR, CRP, and failure of Arterio-Venous Fistula (AVF)

Background: The survival of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) remains an important problem for hemodialysis patients, accounting for 20% of all hospitalizations related to AV access problems in western countries. We designed an observational prospective cohort study on 265 AVFs and evaluated their results after 4 months of fistula creation and its relation to laboratory tests as ESR and CRP levels. Methods: Wrist or antecubital AVFs were created for patients with End-Stage renal disease. All laboratory tests (ESR and CRP) were checked quantitatively. The patients were followed-upfor at least 4 months and failure or maturation of AVFs were recorded in a checklist. Results: 177 (66.8%) males and 88 (33.2%) females were included. The surgeon created 161(60.8%) wrist and 98 (37%) antecubital AVFs. The mean age of patients was 53.18±17.1, ranged from 8 to 91 years old. CRP and total protein had significant differences between the two groups of failure and mature accesses (0.029 and 0.045 respectively). Conclusion: High CRP level is recognized as a reliable predictor for the survival of AVF.