Patency of tertiary vascular access in hemodialysis patients: case series

Abstract

Background: Transposed brachio-basilic arteriovenous fistula (TBB-AVF) or arteriovenous graft (AVG) can be considered when primary and secondary vascular access options have been exhausted. Evidence that compared both procedures remains scarce. We aimed to report and describe the effectiveness of TBB-AVF and AVG as tertiary vascular access, reviewing literature about the advantages of each procedure. Case Presentation: We presented a series of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients needing tertiary vascular access to compare each procedure's effectiveness. Our study included 17 patients with ESRD and multiple vascular access failures who needed tertiary vascular access for hemodialysis between January 2019 and August 2022. Patency in 6 months and 1 year were compared between TBB-AVF and AVG using the Kaplan-Meier curve. The early failure rate was 14.4% for TBB-AVF and 87.5% for AVG. TBB-AVF had a better patency rate than AVG (p=0.005; log-rank). Cumulative patency rates in six months and one year were 91.7% and 85.7% for TBB-AVF compared to 87.5% and 16.7% for AVG, respectively. Conclusion: The creation of TBB-AVF should only be suggested if primary and secondary vascular access options have been exhausted. The TBB-AVF was more effective in functional patency than AVG as tertiary vascular access.