Arteriovenous Fistulas and Grafts Provide Similar Survival Advantages for Elderly Dialysis Patients

Although using an arteriovenous fistula improved survival compared with an arteriovenous graft in dialysis patients in their late 60s and 70s, patients in their 80s and 90s experienced similar survival rates with the two procedures. The findings come from a 4-year study of 115,000 patients over 66 years of age. Catheter use was linked with more than a 74% increased risk of death in patients of any age. The JASN results suggest that vascular access procedures should be tailored to individual elderly patients—a graft may be a reasonable alternative to a fistula for some.