What are the complications related to arteriovenous fistula?

The most important complications of fistulae for HD are lymphedema, infection, aneurysm, stenosis, congestive heart failure, steal syndrome, ischemic neuropathy and thrombosis.

What are the two most common complications of a dialysis graft access?

The most common problems you may experience with your dialysis access are infection, clotting that leads to low blood flow and bleeding. These complications can happen with AV fistulas, AV grafts and central venous catheters (CVCs).

What happens if you take a blood pressure over a fistula?

Measuring your blood pressure in the fistula arm with a blood pressure meter, as inflating the cuff induces a compression of the blood vessels. Drawing blood or injections, as afterwards haemostasis has to be performed. In addition, unqualified personnel could potentially damage the fistula.

What is the most common complication in a vascular access?

Stenosis and infection are the most common complications of the vascular access. Staphylococcus infection is the commonest type of infection. Risk factors for dialysis CRBSI include Diabetes, older age, low serum albumin, high BUN and decreasing the duration of dialysis session.

Why is my fistula getting bigger?

After fistula creation, you may notice a bulge in your arm. This is the enlarged vein that results from blood flowing from the high pressure/ high flow artery into the low pressure/low flow vein. You may notice ink on your arm after your fistula creation procedure that were placed by your physician.

Why would a fistula failure?

What Can Cause an AV Fistula to Fail? An AV fistula can fail when there is a narrowing, also called stenosis, in one of the vessels associated with the fistula. When a narrowing occurs, the volume and rate of blood flow can decrease, and you may be unable to dialyze adequately.

When does a dural arteriovenous fistula occur?

When an abnormal connection is formed between arteries and the dural sinuses, it is called dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) / dural arteriovenous malformation / dural fistula. Theoretically, dural arteriovenous fistulas can occur in any part of the dura mater. Most DAVF’s are thought to be an acquired disease.

How is embolization of the dural sinus performed?

Embolization can be performed by transarterial and/or transvenous routes or direct puncture of affected dural sinus. Selection of embolic materials depends on access route and angioarchitecture of the fistula.

When to consider endovascular embolization for DAVF?

When a patient cannot tolerate the symptom such as pulsating noise, endovascular embolization is considered. Simple observation can be an option for some DAVF’s with negligible risk of hemorrhage. Figure 1: An example of transverse DAVF with a cortical venous reflux.

What happens to the eye with a fistula?

Patients with DAVFs behind the eye (cavernous DAVFs) usually complain of decreased vision and redness / congestion / swelling of the eye. Patients with DAVFs behind the ear (transverse / sigmoid DAVFs) frequently hear a pulsating noise (tinnitus) due to the fast blood flow going through the fistulas.