Upper extremity reconstruction following open surgical repair of giant arteriovenous fistula aneurysm: clinical case and systematic review of the literature.

Background: Nearly 30% of arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) located in the upper extremity for hemodialysis access result in short- and long-term adverse effects, such as rupture, necessitating emergent surgical management and extensive soft-tissue reconstruction. With this systematic review, we aimed to compile all reported open surgical techniques used for complicated AVF repair in the upper extremity, the respective soft-tissue reconstructive outcomes, and vascular patency rates at final follow-up.

Methods: Using Ovid Medline/PubMed databases, we conducted a review of the English-language literature on AVF aneurysm surgical management in the upper extremity, filtered for relevance to open surgical technique and outcomes in vascular patency after aneurysmal repair at long-term follow-up (≥6 months postoperatively).