Outcome of Prosthetic Arteriovenous Graft in Lower Limb for Hemodialysis

Abstract

Background: The burden of chronic kidney disease and the incidence of end-stage renal disease in India are continuously increasing. For each of these patients, adequate vascular access for dialysis is essential for survival. Access to patients' blood can come in the form of a catheter, native arteriovenous fistula (AVF), or prosthetic graft. It is apparent that the number of new “incident” patients and “prevalent” patients will continue to increase, requiring stable forms of vascular access. An alternative to autologous AVF is placement of a synthetic vascular graft prosthesis. Methods: This is a retrospective study which aims to evaluate the outcome of 10 consecutive patients with arteriovenous grafts (AVGs) made for hemodialysis in patients with exhaustive veins/failed AVFs with central venous catheters (CVCs) in situ. Results: The mean age of patients in our study was 54 years. The primary patency rate of AVGs was 50% and 30%, whereas the secondary patency rate was found to be 80% and 60% at 6 months and 1 year, respectively. Conclusion: AVGs can be used as an alternative to AVFs with acceptable results.