Although there were more interventions needed for access salvage in the patients with prosthetic graft implants, we may conclude that patients with poor forearm vessels do benefit from implantation of a prosthetic graft for vascular access.

A venous cuff at the venous anastomosis of PTFE arteriovenous grafts for hemodialysis reduced the incidence of thrombotic occlusions; stenosis at the venous anastomosis was reduced. However, this did not result in a better patency rate. Therefore, the venous cuff should not be used routinely. Initial vein diameter and local problems (edema, obesity, or skin atrophy) appear to be the most important risk factors for graft failure.

A 4-mm to 7-mm tapered prosthetic brachial-antecubital forearm loop access did not reduce the incidence rates of stenoses and thrombotic occlusions compared with a 6-mm prosthetic conduit. Moreover, no differences in patency rates were observed. Therefore, we believe that the 4-mm to 7-mm graft should not be used routinely for hemodialysis vascular access.

Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) has proved to be an effective method for dilating stenoses in veins and arteries used for vascular access in haemodialysis. Not only can stenoses of arteriovenous fistulae (Cimino and other types) be treated, but stenoses of arteriovenous shunts (Scribner) can also be successfully dilated. Over a period of 3 years, PTA was applied 94 times in a haemodialysis population of about 50 patients. It reduced the number of surgical interventions required to maintain permanent vascular access by 30%. The longevity of external and internal shunts was increased by nearly 2 months and 1 year respectively with a PTA. Repeated PTAs were often possible. During the 3 years that PTA was practised routinely, there was a 50% reduction in the number of operations with stenosis as indication as compared to the 3 preceding years.

After nearly 30 years of access surgery for haemodialysis, a survey of vascular access in a large population seemed relevant in order to analyse the state of the art. On 1 January 1988, 2195 patients in 52 centres in The Netherlands (population 14,714,900) were on long-term haemodialysis and 588 on continuous ambulant peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) for renal insufficiency. A questionnaire was mailed out, to which there was 100% response. Of all the patients on long-term haemodialysis, 70% had a Cimino fistula, 22% a graft fistula, and 6% a more proximal arm fistula. The remaining 2% had a Scribner shunt. Of all the graft fistulae, the expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) graft was the one most used (58%), followed by the homologous vein graft (25%), the autologous vein graft (13%), and those made of other materials (4%). Preference for acute access was recorded; catheterisation of the subclavian vein was used almost exclusively in 17 centres, while in 24 centres it was chosen in more than 50% of the cases. The femoral vein was almost always the choice for acute access in 6 centres and it was selected in more than 50% of the cases in 17 centres. Another alternative, the Scribner shunt, was applied in selected cases in 22 of the 52 centres. Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA), as a method for treating stenoses in vessels used for vascular access, was applied routinely in 5 centres and occasionally in 19 centres.