ONE HUNDRED CASES OF ARTERIOVENOUS FISTULA FOR HAEMODIALYSIS ACCESS: THE EFFECT OF CIGARETTE SMOKING ON PATENCY

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Abstract
The results of 100 radiocephalic arteriovenous fistulae formed in 85 patients to provide access for haemodialysis have been assessed. First fistulae had an immediate patency of 90.5% and a patency predicted by life table analysis of 78% at 1 year. An additional 15 fistulae were formed after initial failure in 13 patients, and the predicted patency for all fistulae was 76% at 1 year and 73% at 2 years, with no subsequent failures during the period of the study. Access was established and maintained in 77 patients (90.6%) using the first or a subsequent radiocephalic fistula, and the requirement for other access procedures was low. There was a significantly higher incidence of early and late fistula failure in those patients who were cigarette smokers.