Ulnar-Basilic Arteriovenous Fistula for Hemodialysis Access: Utility as the “Second Procedure” after Radio Cephalic Fistula

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Objectives: As per standard guidelines, the recommended order of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) creation for hemodialysis (HD) access is radiocephalic (RC), followed by proximal elbow fistulas and arteriovenous graft. Although ulnar-basilic (UB) fistula has been an alternative to RC-AVF, still this procedure searches clear recommendations. We present here our experience on UB-AVF as the preferred “second procedure” instead of proximal fistula after the RC-AVF.

Methods: Forty-two UB-AVF were created in nonfeasible and failed RC-AVF cases between 2016 and 2018. They were reviewed retrospectively and outcomes were compared with 480 RC-AVF constructed within the same period.

Results: The primary patency at 18 months was 73.8%, 69.6% and mean maturation time was 33.7±6.6 days, 32.1±4.7 days for UB-AVF and RC-AVF respectively (p>0.05).

Conclusion: Our altered order of preference enabled us to create all the first-time fistula in the distal forearm, providing all the advantages of distal fistula like RC-AVF and avoiding proximal fistula, improved patient convenience and short-term benefit. In an inference that may be used for references and needs support from a larger sample and longer duration study from other centers, UB-AVF may be considered as the second option after RC-AVF depending on the clinical scenario.