Post-anastomotic venous stenosis after Optiflow deployment: An unexpected outcome

Abstract

Arteriovenous fistula failure represents a major cause of hospitalization and a significant economic burden for end-stage renal disease patients on hemodialysis. The Optiflow (Bioconnect Systems Inc., Ambler, PA) is a new device developed to improve arteriovenous fistula outcomes and decrease failure rates by reducing the risk of stenosis and improving maturation rates. This case report describes a 50-year-old male with hypertensive nephropathy on dialysis who had multiple arteriovenous fistula failures in the past. He was scheduled to undergo brachiocephalic fistula construction using the Optiflow device. After 8 months of use, the new fistula developed a peri-anastomotic venous stenosis, just distal to the Optiflow device. To our knowledge, this is the first time such a complication has been reported.