Surgical Outcomes of Forearm Loop Arteriovenous Fistula Formation Using Tapered versus Non-Tapered Polytetrafluoroethylene Grafts.
BACKGROUND
Tapered grafts, which have a smaller diameter on the arterial side, have been increasingly used for arteriovenous fistula (AVF) formation. We compared the outcomes of 4-6-mm tapered and 6-mm straight forearm loop arteriovenous grafts.


METHODS
A total of 103 patients receiving forearm loop arteriovenous grafts between March 2005 and March 2015 were retrospectively analyzed and separated into 2 groups (group A, 4- to 6-mm tapered grafts, n=78; group B, 6-mm straight grafts, n=25). In each group, complications and patency rates after surgery were assessed.


RESULTS
Clinical characteristics and laboratory results, except for cerebrovascular disease history (group A, 7.7%; group B, 28.0%; p=0.014), were similar between the groups. No significant differences were found for individual complications. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed no significant differences in 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year patency rates between groups (61.8%, 44.9%, and 38.5% vs. 62.7%, 41.1%, and 35.3%, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
We found no significant differences in complication and patency rates between the tapered and straight graft groups. If there are no differences in complication and patency between the two graft types, tapered grafts may be a valuable option for AVF formation in light of their other advantages.
Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Dankook University College of Medicine.
Sun
S
Han
Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Dankook University College of Medicine.
Pil Won
PW
Seo
Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Dankook University College of Medicine.
Jae-Wook
JW
Ryu
Arteriovenous fistula; Graft; Outcomes