Abstract:

The choice of vascular access is crucial to hemodialysis (HD) patients. A series of pathological and physiological changes occurred in patients with end stage renal disease, including cardiovascular such as left ventricular hypertrophy, volume overload, and endothelial dysfunction. The introduction of autologous arteriovenous fistula (AVF) significantly improves the quality of life in HD patients. However, creation of AVF  for HD imparts another degree of complexity to this already complex physiology. Aside from making obvious alterations in the vascular anatomy, AVF cause changes in cardiovascular hemodynamics, including the systemic and pulmonary circulations. Therefore, it is necessary to fully understand the effects of AVF on the cardiovascular system, and provide theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of AVF related cardiovascular complications.