Background Successful vascular access (VA) cannulation is integral to the delivery of adequate dialysis, highlighting the importance of ensuring the viability of arteriovenous access in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Missed VA cannulation can lead to infection, infiltration, hematoma or aneurysm formation resulting in the need for access revision, central venous catheter (CVC) placement, or permanent loss of VA. Cannulation-related complications can also negatively impact on a patient’s dialysis experience and quality of life. This study aimed to identify patient, VA and nurse factors associated with unsuccessful VA cannulations. Methods A prospective cohort study was conducted in HD patients with a permanent VA from three HD units. Data on patient, VA and nurse characteristics, plus, cannulation technique were collected for each episode of cannulation. General Estimating Equation was used to fit a repeated measures logistic regression to determine the odds of cannulation success. Results We collected data on 1946 episodes of cannulation (83.9% fistula) in 149 patients by 63 nurses. Cannulation included use of tourniquet (62.9%), ultrasound (4.1%) and was by rope ladder (73.8%) or area (24.7%) technique. The miscannulation rate was 4.4% ( n = 85) with a third of patients ( n = 47) having at least one episode of miscannulation. Extravasation ( n = 17, 0.9%) and use of an existing CVC ( n = 6, 0.6%) were rare. Multivariable characteristics of successful cannulation included fistula compared with graft [OR 4.38; 95%CI, 1.89–10.1]; older access [OR 1.68; 95%CI, 1.32–2.14]; absence of stent [OR 3.37; 95%CI, 1.39–8.19]; no ultrasound [OR 13.7; 95%CI, 6.52–28.6]; no tourniquet [OR 2.32; 95%CI, 1.15–4.66]; and lack of post graduate certificate in renal nursing [OR 2.27; 95%CI, 1.31–3.93]. Conclusion This study demonstrated a low rate of miscannulation. Further research is required on ultrasound-guided cannulation. Identifying variables associated with successful cannulation may be used to develop a VA cannulation complexity instrument that could be utilised to match to the cannulation skill of a competency-assessed nurse, thereby minimising the risk of missed cannulation and trauma.

Background: The Western Australian Haemodialysis Vascular Access Classification instrument was developed to classify the cannulation complexity of the arteriovenous fistula or arteriovenous graft as simple, challenging, or complex. Although the instrument was developed by experts in haemodialysis nursing, the instrument had not undergone formal validity or reliability testing. Objectives: Evaluate the Western Australian Haemodialysis Vascular Access Classification instrument for content validity, interrater and test-retest reliability. Design: Prospective cohort study. Participants: Content validity was assessed by haemodialysis nursing experts (n = 8). The reliability testing occurred in one in-centre and one satellite haemodialysis unit in Western Australia from September to November 2019. Reliability testing was performed by 38 haemodialysis nurses in 67 patients receiving haemodialysis and 247 episodes of cannulation. Measurements: Interrater and test-retest reliability assessment was conducted using κ, adjusted κ, Bland-Altman plots, intraclass correlation coefficient and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results: The final version of the instrument (n = 20 items) had individual item-level content validity indices ranging from 0.625 to 1.00 with a scale-level content validity index of 0.89. For both interrater (n = 172 pairs) and test-retest (n = 101 pairs), most individual variables had excellent adjusted κ (n = 33 variables), some fair to good agreement (n = 6 variables) and one variable with poor agreement. The classification of simple, challenging and complex demonstrated adjusted κ of fair to good, to excellent agreement for interrater reliability with lower levels of agreement for test-retest reliability.Conclusions: This instrument may be used to match a competency-assessed nurse to perform the cannulation thereby minimising the risk of missed cannulation and trauma.