Hemodialysis vascular access: how do practice patterns affect outcomes?

There are significant international differences in the type of vascular accesses that are routinely used in the hemodialysis population. Most U.S. hemodialysis patients dialyze with grafts or catheters, while most European and Japanese patients dialyze with the preferable native arteriovenous (A-V) fistulae. Recent analyses suggest that several practice patterns that can be significantly affected by nephrology nurses may help increase both the use of native A-V fistulae and vascular access longevity in the U.S.