2 million patients are managed with hemodialysis (2).Hemodialysis access options include central venous catheters (CVCs), arteriovenous grafts (AVGs) and arteriovenous fistulae (AVF). Among those, AVF and AVG are preferred over CVC due to the lower risk of infection (3). AVF also have an advantage over AVG with respect to primary and secondary patency rates. However, there are many barriers to AVF use, including long surgical-wait