Arteriovenous fistula maturation: Physical exam versus flow study.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the utility of routine duplex flow study 4 to 6 weeks after primary AVF creation and to compare physical exam against a duplex flow study in predicting fistula maturation. A surveillance algorithm was established to evaluate the naïve fistula after primary creation.

Methods: This was a single institution retrospective review of 155 veterans with primary autogenous AVF creation from 2016 to 2018.