Smooth Venous Loop Arterio Venous Fistula for Hemodialysis

Abstract

Venous-end-to-arterial-side, smooth-loop arteriovenous (AV) fistulae were created in 41 patients (33 men, 8 women) just above the wrist between the cephalic vein and the radial artery. Blood flow through these fistulae was quite satisfac tory (200-300 mL/min) and maturation occurred in only two to three weeks. Complications included transitory edema of hand (9 patients), primary failure (2 patients), and late aneurysmal formation (1 patient). The fistulae were in regular use for from one to twenty-eight months, with one to eighty-three dialyses per patient.