Arteriovenous fistula in the elderly dialysis patients

Summary Introduction. The growing population of elderly and inclusion them into dialysis requires satisfactory and safe vascular access. Aim. The aim of our study was to analyze different types of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) depending on age specially forearm fistulae in the elderly. Material and methods. We screened 212 consecutive patients. Patients were divided into two groups: < 65 years of age versus ≥ 65 years of age. Results. A total of 203 patients were operated. One hundred ninety two AVF used for hemodialysis after first creation were analyzed. In that study population, 118 patients were 65 years or older. In group 1 (patients younger than 65 years old) 45 patients were male (61%) and in group 2-61 patients were males (52%). A total of 122 forearm fistulae, 58 brachial fistulae and 12 brachial PTFE grafts were created. Conclusions. Our study shows that the creation of native AVF is not limited by the patient's age.