Comparison of regional and local anesthesia for arteriovenous fistula creation in end-stage renal disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background Arteriovenous fistulae (AVF) are the hemodialysis access modality of choice for patients with end-stage renal disease. However, they have a high early failure rate. Good vascular access is essential to manage long-term hemodialytic treatment, but some anesthesia techniques directly affect venous diameter as well as intra- and post- operative blood flow. The main purpose of this meta-analysis was to compare the results of regional and local anesthesia for arteriovenous fistula creation in end-stage renal disease.Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to synthesize evidence from 7 randomized controlled trials (565 patients) and 2 observational studies (524 patients) aim to evaluate the safety and efficacy of regional anesthesia (RA) versus local anesthesia (LA) in AVF surgical construction.Results: Pooled data showed that RA was associated with higher primary patency rates than LA (odds ratio [OR], 1.88; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.24 - 2.84; P = 0.003; I 2 = 31%; Figure 2a). Additionally, brachial artery diameter was significantly increased in the RA versus LA group (mean difference [MD] = 0.83; 95% CI: 0.75 - 0.92; P < 0.001; I 2 = 97%) and the need for intra- as well as post- operative pain killers was significantly less (RA, p = 0.0363; LA, p = 0.0318). Moreover, operation duration was significantly reduced in the RA (67.5 ± 8.9 min) versus LA (134.7 ± 14.8 min) group (p = 0.0007).Conclusions: In conclusion, compared with LA, RA shows higher primary patency rates and it also associated with significantly better intra- as well as post- operative pain control, reduced operative times, which are extremely important in patients with end-stage renal disease and severe comorbidities.