Risk Factors and Utility of Intraoperative Arteriovenous Fistula Blood Flow Level as a Surrogate Marker of Arteriovenous Fistula Failure in Patients with End-stage Renal Disease

Abstract

An arteriovenous fistula (AVF) can fail for different reasons at each stage after its creation. The study aimed to analyze the associations of the clinical and laboratory parameters, including the intraoperative AVF blood flow, with AVF failure at different periods (3 weeks and 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, and 36 months) after the AVF's creation and to evaluate the usefulness of the intraoperative AVF blood flow as a surrogate marker of AVF failure in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). This was a single-center, retrospective cohort study that included 130 patients with ESRD who underwent the creation of new radiocephalic AVFs. The associations of the preoperative clinical and laboratory parameters and intraoperative flow with AVF failure in the different observation periods were investigated. Intraoperative AVF blood flow was significantly associated with AVF failure from 3 weeks to 24 months (P <0.05). Hemoglobin level and the size of the anastomosis were significantly associated with AVF failure at 6 months (P <0.05). In the analysis of the receiver operating characteristic curve, intraoperative AVF blood flow was significant from 3 weeks to 24 months (P <0.05). The intraoperative blood flow with the greatest sensitivity and specificity was 205–225 mL/min. Intraoperative blood flow was independently associated with AVF failure from 3 weeks to 24 months after the AVF's creation. An intraoperative AVF blood flow of >225 mL/min is crucial for long-term AVF patency. The intraoperative AVF blood flow level could be a surrogate marker of AVF failure in ESRD patients.