Bridging to a High Flow Upper Arm Native Fistula for Hemodialysis with the LifeSite® Hemodialysis Access System

Creation of Native Arteriovenous Fistulas with Interrupted Anastomoses Using a Self-Closing Clip Device - One Clinic's Experience

The nitinol U-CLIP™ Anastomotic Device (Coalescent Surgical, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA) is a self-closing penetrating vascular clip that reduces suture management and eliminates knot tying, thus enabling rapid and precise interrupted suture placement and facilitating creation of an optimal vascular anastomosis. This report describes the use of U-CLIP devices in the surgical creation of native arteriovenous fistulas in 68 chronic hemodialysis patients. Overall, 61 of the 65 fistulas created matured successfully within 8–9 weeks. Radial cephalic fistulas: 93% were mature at 8 weeks. Brachiocephalic fistulas: 69% were mature at 8 weeks. One-stage basilic vein transposition: 100% were mature at 9 weeks. Two-stage basilic vein transposition: 100% were mature at 8 weeks after second stage. The results in this report show the excellent performance of U-CLIP vascular clips in the creation of several types of native arteriovenous fistulas in chronic hemodialysis patients. The fistulas created using the U-CLIP devices had a high maturation rate within a relatively short time period, and provided uniformly high flow rates. The patients in this study were a challenging population, with a high incidence of diabetes mellitus (81% of the patients) and vein sizes that were smaller than typically used for fistula creation. The U-CLIP™ Anastomotic Device offers the opportunity to create superior interrupted anastomoses for AV fistulas, even in patients who would otherwise be considered poor candidates for fistula creation.

Efficacy and Safety Results with the LifeSite Hemodialysis Access System versus the Tesio-Cath Hemodialysis Catheter at 12 Months

PURPOSE

To compare the performance and safety of a fully subcutaneous vascular access device, the LifeSite hemodialysis access system, versus a tunneled hemodialysis catheter, the Tesio-Cath, at 1 year after implantation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Sixty-eight patients who required hemodialysis received implantation of the LifeSite device or a Tesio-Cath device as a part of this multicenter study. Thirty-four patients were treated in each group. The endpoints observed included blood flow rates and associated venous pressures, overall and device-related adverse events, the need for thrombolytic infusions, device-related infections (DRIs) and associated hospitalizations, and technical device survival.

RESULTS

During the 12-month observation period, significantly higher venous pressures were required in patients with the Tesio-Cath to achieve blood flow rates comparable with those achieved with the LifeSite device. Patients in the LifeSite group experienced a significantly lower rate of non-device-related adverse events (P < .001), device-related adverse events (P < .016), need for thrombolytic infusions (P < .002), and DRIs (P < .013) compared with patients in the Tesio-Cath group. There was a trend toward a lower number of hospital days per month for DRIs in the LifeSite group, with the rate for the Tesio-Cath group being twice that in the LifeSite group. The use of the LifeSite device was also associated with a significantly higher probability of device survival for 12 months after censoring for planned removals (P < .031).

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the present study demonstrate superior device performance and technical device survival, reduced complications, and the need for fewer interventions with the LifeSite hemodialysis access system compared with a standard hemodialysis catheter during a 1-year time period after implantation.

The difficult hemodialysis access extremity: proximal radial arteriovenous fistulas and the role of angioscopy and valvulotomes

BACKGROUND

Native arteriovenous (AV) fistulas (NAVF) offer significantly lower risks than grafts or catheters. Individuals with a difficult access extremity (DAE) are often viewed as unsuitable for NAVFs. The proximal radial artery (PRA) NAVF offers a safe and reliable opportunity for a direct fistula in most patients, and we find it an important surgical option in the DAE.

METHODS

Consecutive vascular access operations were reviewed to find individuals with DAE. We defined the DAE patient group as those individuals where a wrist (Cimino) or upper arm brachiocephalic NAVF was not possible or was predicted to fail.

RESULTS

Preoperative physical and ultrasound examinations identified 58 individuals with DAE. Mean age was 56 years (range 11 to 87), 34 were female, 29 were diabetic, and 27 had previous access surgery. NAVFs were constructed in all patients. No grafts were utilized. Forty-six patients had a PRA NAVF constructed. NAVF patency was 91%. Twenty-three patients required retrograde angioscopy or passage of a valvulotome to gain forearm access. Twenty-one of these 23 individuals maintained an open NAVF segment in the forearm.

CONCLUSION

NAVFs were constructed in all patients. PRA NAVFs play an important role in extending hemodialysis by NAVF for this difficult patient group. Forearm access is often possible in these patients and may be successfully augmented by angioscopy or valvulotomes.

Successful treatment of a LifeSite Hemodialysis Access System pocket infection with large-volume kanamycin solution irrigation

Bridge devices-dialysis catheters and subcutaneous access devices-play a critical role in increasing the placement of arteriovenous (AV) fistulas by providing hemodialysis vascular access while AV fistulas mature. The LifeSite Hemodialysis Access System (Vasca Inc, Tewskburg, MA), a fully implantable, subcutaneous dual valve access system, has been shown to have lower complication rates, higher blood flow rates, and better long-term device survival than conventional tunneled hemodialysis catheters, indicating it may better meet the requirements for optimally bridging to a fistula. This case study of a 48-year-old black man undergoing chronic hemodialysis for renal failure because of insulin-dependent diabetes describes a simple approach for resolving localized pocket infections associated with the LifeSite System by drip irrigation of the valves and tissue pockets with an antibiotic solution. Eight weeks after implantation of the LifeSite System, the patient exhibited symptoms of infection of the lateral LifeSite valve tissue pocket, which on culture was shown to be caused by Staphylococcus aureus. Flushing the LifeSite valve and tissue pocket with a large volume of kanamycin solution, in conjunction with intravenous vancomycin and routine irrigation of the valve with isopropyl alcohol, resolved the infection after 1 treatment. The LifeSite System successfully bridged the patient to a transposed basilic vein fistula created through a 2-stage surgical procedure. The LifeSite System provided uninterrupted access for hemodialysis over a period of 6 months while the fistula matured. The LifeSite System should allow surgeons to attempt fistula construction in more patients, including diabetics, access-challenged patients, and patients with small vessels, who may benefit from a nontraditional surgical approach toward fistula creation.