A Noninvasive Determination of Fistula Blood Flow in Dialysis Patients

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Abstract
Arteriovenous fistula (AVF) blood flow was evaluated in 32 dialysis patients [with end-stage renal disease] using a pulsed Doppler velocimeter with 2 dominant features: a range-gated time system and a double transducer probe. With the proposed apparatus, the observation angle between the ultrasound beam and the vessel axis was known. In radial AVF, blood flow was 728 .+-. 53 ml/min and was negatively correlated with the age of the AVF (r = -0.62; P < 0.01). In brachial AVF, blood flow was 778 .+-. 152 ml/min. In bovine heterograft AVF, blood flow was 1225 .+-. 125 ml/min. In the overall population, a negative relationship was observed between the diameter of the fistula and the blood flow velocity (r = - 0.57; P < 0.01). The study describes an accurate noninvasive method for the determination of fistula blood flow in dialysis patients, which may be helpful in the follow-up of the regional hemodynamics of this vascular access.