Frequency of critical stenosis in primary arteriovenous fistulae before hemodialysis access: should duplex ultrasound surveillance be the standard of care?

Abstract

Increasing use of primary arteriovenous fistulae (pAVFs) is a desired goal in hemodialysis patients (National Kidney Foundation /Dialysis Outcome Quality Initiative guidelines). However, in many instances, pAVFs fail to adequately mature due to ill-defined mechanisms. We therefore investigated pAVFs with color duplex ultrasound (CDU) surveillance 4 to 12 weeks postoperatively to identify hemodynamically significant abnormalities that may contribute to pAVF failure.