| Theme | Cardiovascular Complications in Chronic Dialysis Patients -- Are They Inevitable? | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Vascular access and cardiac function | |
| Publish Date | 2006/04 | |
| Author | Takahiro Nishi | Department of Medicine, Nephrology Division, Mitsui Memorial Hospital |
| Author | Keiko Sai | Department of Medicine, Nephrology Division, Mitsui Memorial Hospital |
| Author | Imari Mimura | Department of Medicine, Nephrology Division, Mitsui Memorial Hospital |
| Author | Naobumi Mise | Department of Medicine, Nephrology Division, Mitsui Memorial Hospital |
| Author | Hitoshi Tagawa | Department of Medicine, Nephrology Division, Mitsui Memorial Hospital |
| Author | Tokuichiro Sugimoto | Department of Medicine, Nephrology Division, Mitsui Memorial Hospital |
| [ Summary ] | It is becoming more common for dialysis patients to have impaired cardiovascular function not only after long term dialysis but also at the initiation of dialysis. Both arterio-venous fistula (AVF) and arterio-venous grafts (AVG) may affect functional cardiac reserves because of arterio-venous shunts. As most dialysis patients have significant risk factors for cardiac disease, vascular access, which is safe at first, may become hazardous later on, when there is deterioration of cardiac functions. Dialysis care takers should be aware of this fact and may need to even consider the closure of AVF/AVG and changes in dialysis modality to improve quality of life for dialysis patients. | |