Outcome of upper limb vascular access for hemodialysis.

The aim of this study was to investigate the outcome of vascular access procedures for hemodialysis and factors affecting access survival and complication rates. A retrospective review was carried out on 276 patients who underwent 404 consecutive vascular access operations performed over seven-years. The overall primary failure rate was 9.2%, while the oneand five-year cumulative access patency rates were 63.8% and 40.6%, respectively. Diabetes mellitus status significantly influenced access survival (P = 0.022). Autogenous arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) are reliable procedures with access sites often available in the upper limb proximally and distally. Patients with diabetes mellitus have significantly worse patency rates of upper limb AVFs.