Low-Flow Polytetrafluoroethylene Accesses: Ultrasound Surveillance and Preemptive Interventions Ensure Long-Term Patency

Abstract

Vascular accesses (especially polytetrafluoroethylene grafts) with a permanently low flow (Qa < 600 ml/min) are prone to thrombosis and thus have short patency. The reason for a permanently low flow is usually medial calcinosis of the inflow artery in diabetics.

We retrospectively studied the long-term patency of low-flow grafts with careful ultrasound surveillance and preemptive interventions.