The relationship between arteriovenous fistula blood flow rate and pulmonary artery pressure in hemodialysis patients.
OBJECTIVE
Although there is an increased prevalence of pulmonary hypertension in hemodialysis patients, the relationship between arteriovenous (AV) fistula blood flow and pulmonary hemodynamics is not known. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between blood flow rate of AV fistula and pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) in hemodialysis patients.


METHODS
Thirty-two hemodialysis patients were included in this study. Within 1 h of completion of dialysis, blood flow rate of AV fistula and pulmonary hemodynamics were evaluated using Doppler sonography. Pulmonary hypertension was defined as mean PAP > or = 25 mmHg at rest.


RESULTS
Mean PAP, median blood flow rate of AV fistula, and mean cardiac index were 22.5 +/- 10.0 mmHg (range 8-39), 978.0 ml/min (interquartile range 762.0-1,584.5) and 3,043.0 +/- 694.3 ml/ min per m2 (range 1,251-4,140), respectively. Mean PAP has a relationship to cardiac index (r = 0.453, P = 0.014). However, there was no correlation between mean PAP and blood flow rate of AV fistula, hemoglobin, calcium-phosphorus (CaxP) product, and parathormone. Pulmonary hypertension was present in 43.7% of patients. Patients with pulmonary hypertension had significantly higher cardiac index (P = 0.036).


CONCLUSIONS
We found there was no direct relationship between blood flow rate of AV fistula and PAP. Other factors may play a role in the development of pulmonary hypertension.
Acarturk
Gursel
G
Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyonkarahisar 03200, Turkey.
Albayrak
Ramazan
R
Melek
Mehmet
M
Yuksel
Seref
S
Uslan
Ihsan
I
Atli
Huseyin
H
Colbay
Mehmet
M
Unlu
Mehmet
M
Fidan
Fatma
F
Asci
Zerrin
Z
Cander
Soner
S
Karaman
Ozcan
O
Acar
Murat
M
D000328:Adult; D001166:Arteriovenous Shunt, Surgical; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D006435:Renal Dialysis