Addi"ional informa"ion is available a" "he end of "he chap"er h""p://dx.doi.org/10.5772/52689
. IntroductionThe population requiring hemodialysis HD in the United States continues to grow, with recent studies reporting over , "mericans with end stage renal disease ESRD who are HD-dependent [ ]. The creation of functional HD access is often the limiting step in utilization of renal replacement therapy RRT . Since the s, the creation of hemodialysis access has become one of the most commonly performed procedures in the United States with over , vascular access procedures performed per year [ ]. This represents approximately % of the annual Medicare budget allocated to patients with ESRD [ ]. The magnitude of the associated economic and human costs is further exemplified by the fact that up to % of patients with ESRD will die due to inadequate hemodialysis access [ ]. This clinical situation and societal burden makes understanding the basic management steps and options for hemodialysis access of key importance to all healthcare professionals involved in the care of patients who require HD.
. Timing of referralThere is only limited literature on the optimal timing of patient referral for placement of vascular access [ ]. What has been shown is that patients with ESRD who are referred to a vascular access practitioner greater than one month before likely initiation of HD had a significantly lower chance of having a tunneled catheter as their first access option [ ]. The early placement of arteriovenous access is also associated with a lower risk of sepsis and mortality [ ]. "t present, the Society for Vascular Surgery makes the following recommen-© 2013 Pe"erson e" al.; licensee InTech. This is an open access ar"icle dis"rib""ed "nder "he "erms of "he Crea"ive Commons A""rib""ion License (h""p://crea"ivecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permi"s "nres"ric"ed "se, dis"rib""ion, and reprod"c"ion in any medi"m, provided "he original work is properly ci"ed.dations regarding HD access a Patients should be referred to vascular access surgeons for placement of permanent hemodialysis access when they have advanced renal disease defined as MDRD of < to mL/min who have elected to have hemodialysis as their choice of renal replacement therapy b If upper extremity arteriovenous access is possible it should be constructed in these patients as soon as possible c If prosthetic access is to be constructed this should be delayed until just before the need for dialysis [ ].
. Initial evaluationThe initial evaluation of a patient referred for HD access placement begins with an adequate history and physical examination. This aids in the determination of the most appropriate access option for the patient [ ]. The initial questions should include attention to which is the patient s dominant extremity and any history of prior upper extremity interventions or symptoms of arm claudication. The physical examination should document any physical evidence that the patient has had a prior central venous catheter CVC and the upper extremity pulse...