The association of overhydration with megafistulas in hemodialysis patients

Abstract

Objectives: Diffuse enlargements of arteriovenous dialysis fistulas customarily attributed to either excessive arterial inflow or central outflow stenosis. The relationship between volume status and clinically enlarged (arteriovenous) fistula (CEF) formation in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients is not well understood. Methods: We assessed the pre-dialysis bioimpedance spectroscopy-measured percentage of overhydration (OH%) in 13 prevalent dialysis patients with CEF development and negative angiography and compared the results with those of 52 control dialysis patients (CONTR). All patients were prevalent ESRD patients receiving thrice-weekly maintenance hemodiafiltration at an academic outpatient dialysis unit. Results: 10/13 CEF patients had OH% ≥15% as compared to 20/52 control patients (Chi square p:.02). The degree of OH% was 20.2 ± 7.4% among the CEF vs. 14.4 ± 7.1% in the control group (Student’s t-test p:.01), representing 4.2 ± 3.2 vs. 2.8 ± 1.6 L of excess fluid pre-dialysis (p:.03). Patients with CEF development took an average of 1.7 ± 1.4 vs. 0.8 ± 0.8 (p:.002) antihypertensive medications compared to the CONTR patients, yet their blood pressure was higher: 156/91 vs. 141/78 mmHg (systolic/diastolic p:.03