VASCULAR ACCESS FOR HEMODIALYSIS BY ULNAR-BASILIC-TRANSPOSITION IN AXILLARY LOOP

Abstract

The population on dialysis is increasing because of multiple factors, including the rise in life expectancy that has taken place during this century and the admission of increasingly younger patients affected by diseases such as diabetes. Further, the life expectancy of the population on dialysis has also grown thanks to improvements in medical technology. Classical native vascular accesses like Brescia-Cimino radiocephalic AVF, the brachiocephalic AVF and transposition of basilic and ulnar veins continue to be the first choice since they present higher patency and lower complication rates as compared to prosthetic materials. Once all conventional access alternatives in the upper limbs have been exhausted, a viable alternative is the creation of an ulnar-basilic AVF in axillary loop. This procedure was performed with good results in four patients with an age range of 30 to 52 with chronic renal insufficiency, receiving dialysis three times a week.