Increasing brachiocephalic AVF creation and reducing our reliance on radiocephalic AVFs resulted in a significant increase in primary functional patency at 1 year. This was achieved while maintaining the same high percentage of fistulas, a lower rate of central catheter infections, and the same low incidence of steal syndrome.

The BVAVF is a viable alternative to the AVG in patients with inadequate superficial venous anatomy, especially in access-naïve patients. The decision to perform BVAVF must be weighed against the delay in functional maturation expected compared with AVG.

Most residents reported reading consistently for patient care throughout the year. Daily studying and textbook use were associated with higher ABSITE scores on univariate analysis. Scores on the USMLE 2 and MCAT, as well as resident attitude regarding the importance of the ABSITE results, were independent predictors of ABSITE performance.