A comparison of the outcomes of one-stage and two-stage brachiobasilic arteriovenous fistulas

Abstract

The brachiobasilic arteriovenous fistula (BBAVF) can be formed in one or two stages. This study examined the failure rates and functional patencies of one-stage vs two-stage brachiobasilic transposition fistulas to compare the two surgical techniques. We retrospectively identified all the patients who underwent BBAVF access surgery at King's College Hospital between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2011 (3 years). Patients were divided into two groups according to one-stage or two-stage procedure. All patients were seen in the access clinic 4 to 6 weeks postoperatively, and their fistulas were scanned (duplex). The surveillance of fistulas consists of duplex scans every 6 months to assess volume flow. During the study interval, 149 brachiobasilic transpositions (65 one-stage and 84 two-stage) were performed in 141 patients. Patients undergoing the two-stage procedure had a smaller mean preoperative vein diameter (4.0 ± 1.1 vs 3.6 ± 1.3 mm; P = .041) and tended to be older (58 ± 15 vs 63 ± 15 years; P = .062). Mean overall follow-up was 559 ± 333 days. There was no difference in primary failure between the two groups (45% vs 42%; P = .718). At 1 year, the two-stage BBAVFs had significantly better primary (71% vs 87%; P = .034), assisted primary (77% vs 95%; P = .017), and secondary functional (79% vs 95%; P = .026) patencies. The same applied to 2-year primary (53% vs 75%; P = .034), assisted primary (57% vs 77%; P = .017), and secondary functional (57% vs 77%; P = .026) patencies. Multivariate Cox regression showed that the one-stage procedure was 3.2 times more likely to fail (P = .028). Men were 2.7 times more likely to lose their access (P = .054). This study describes a large series of BBAVFs and makes an extensive comparison between the one-stage and two-stage operations. Significantly improved overall functional patency is demonstrated for the two-stage operation.