Vascular access and increased risk of death among hemodialysis patients.
BACKGROUND
Hemodialysis with a venous catheter increases the risk of infection. The extent to which venous catheters are associated with an increased risk of death among hemodialysis patients has not been extensively studied.


METHODS
We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 7497 prevalent hemodialysis patients to assess the association between dialysis with a venous catheter and risk of death due to all causes and to infection.


RESULTS
A tunneled cuffed catheter was used for access in 12% of the patients and non-cuffed, not tunneled catheter in 2%. Younger age (P = 0.0005), black race (P = 0.0022), female gender (P = 0.0004), short duration since starting dialysis (P = 0.0003) and impaired functional status (P = 0.0001) were independently associated with increased use of catheter access. The proportion of patients who died was higher among those who were dialyzed with a non-cuffed (16.8%) or cuffed (15.2%) catheter compared to those dialyzed with either a graft (9.1%) or a fistula (7.3%; P < 0.001). The proportion of deaths due to infection was higher among patients dialyzed with a catheter (3.4%) compared to those dialyzed with either a graft (1.2%) or a fistula (0.8%; P < 0.001). The adjusted odds ratio (95% CI) for all-cause and infection-related death among patients dialyzed with a catheter was 1.4 (1.1, 1.9) and 3.0 (1.4, 6.6), respectively, compared to those with an arteriovenous (AV) fistula.


CONCLUSIONS
Venous catheters are associated with an increased risk of all-cause and infection-related mortality among hemodialysis patients.
Pastan
Stephen
S
Renal Division, Department of Medicine, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA.
Soucie
J Michael
JM
McClellan
William M
WM
D000368:Aged; D001166:Arteriovenous Shunt, Surgical / Q000401:mortality; D002406:Catheterization, Peripheral / Q000401:mortality*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000401:mortality*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors