A Vascular Access Team Can Increase AV Fistula Creation in Pediatric ESRD Patients: A Single Center Experience

The National Kidney Foundation Dialysis Outcomes Quality Initiative (NKF-DOQI) recommends the use of a permanent vascular access for pediatric hemodialysis (HD) patients; however, central venous catheters are the most common vascular access used among children. In children receiving HD, central venous catheters, while suboptimal, are the most common vascular access used. As such, it is imperative that pediatric HD providers optimize vascular access techniques. We report outcomes of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) creation by a single surgeon in pediatric HD patients dialyzed at a single center. We further describe our experience and outcomes with the use of the operating microscope in the United States in children receiving HD under 15 kg in weight and as young as 4 years of age. AVF usage rates as well as short- and long-term patency rates can be quite high with proper management. We further illustrate that the Fistula First principles can be applied to the pediatric population in the setting of a single surgeon with single center experience. As such, we have surpassed the current NKF-DOQI recommendation of 50% fistula use in prevalent HD patients.