Vascular access for hemodialysis: creation, functioning, and complications (data of the Hospital of Kaunas University of Medicine).
BACKGROUND
There are no data about arteriovenous fistulas (AVF) formation, survival, and complications rate in patients with end-stage renal failure in Lithuania.


METHODS
We analyzed the data of patients (N=272) with end-stage renal failure, dialyzed at the Hospital of Kaunas University of Medicine from January 1, 2000, until March 30, 2010, and identified 368 cases of AVF creation. The patients were divided into two groups: group 1 included the patients with an AVF that functioned for <15 months (n=138) and group 2 included patients with an AVF that functioned for ≥15 months (n=171).


CONCLUSIONS
Less than half (47%) of the patients started planned hemodialysis and 51% of the patients started hemodialysis urgently. The mean time of AVF functioning was 15.43±8.67 months. Age, gender, the kidney disease, and time of AVF maturation had no influence on AVF functioning time. AVFs of the patients who started planned hemodialysis functioned longer as compared to AVFs of the patients who started hemodialysis urgently (P<0.05). Hospitalization time of the patients who started hemodialysis urgently was longer as compared that of the patients who had a matured AVF (37.63±20.55 days vs. 16.54±9.43 days). The first vascular access had better survival than repeated access. AVF survival in patients with ischemic brain vascular disease was worse than in patients without this comorbidity.
Department of Nephrology, Kaunas University of Medicine, Eivenių 2, 50028 Kaunas, Lithuania. sondra.kybartiene@gmail.com
Sondra
S
Kybartienė
Inga
I
Skarupskienė
Edita
E
Ziginskienė
Vytautas
V
Kuzminskis
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001166:Arteriovenous Shunt, Surgical; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D008097:Lithuania / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000453:epidemiology; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D051437:Renal Insufficiency / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D013997:Time Factors