45 th EDTNA/ERCA International Conference – Valencia, September 17-20, 2016 Regular monitoring as an efficient method to prolong well-functioning vascular access Evgenia Kuzhina 1 , Tatyana Glushenkova 2 , Maria Teresa Parisotto 3 1 Fresenius Medical Care, Fresenius NephroCare Dialysis Centre, Krasnodar – Russia 2 Fresenius Medical Care, Fresenius NephroCare Dialysis Centre, Ulyanovsk – Russia 3 Fresenius Medical Care – Nursing Care Coordination, Bad Homburg – Germany Introduction Dialysis patients have a high risk of vascular access problems, such as infiltration, haematoma, thrombosis, stenosis, development of aneurisms and pseudo-aneurisms. This may lead to vascular access dysfunction, inefficient dialysis and a decrease in the quality of life among dialysis patients. Objectives Regular monitoring of vascular access as the best approach towards early identification of possible complications. Methods Monitoring includes: • Doppler ultrasound and physical assessment in pre-dialysis stage. • Patient training immediately after creation of vascular access. • Patient re-training at regular intervals during the year. • Assessment of vascular access before, during and after each dialysis session; the results are recorded in a clinical database. • Doppler ultrasound: twice a year and off-schedule – at emergence of complications. • Doppler ultrasound before the first cannulation in the presence of the nurse who will carry out the procedure. It is important for the nurse to know the direction of blood flow, the depth and diameter of vessels. This is beneficial to avoid as much as possible occurrence of complications during dialysis. • Measurement of recirculation by means of thermodilution (Fig.3). Results During 2013-2015, the number of patients in our centre increased from 474 to 557 (Fig.1). In the same period, the number of "cannulation problems” decreased from 204 episodes out of 59,118 treatments in 2013, to 142 episodes out of 77,507 treatments in 2015; “Poor Blood Flow’’ from 147 to 80 episodes per year (Fig.1). Conclusion Regular monitoring is a reliable way of guaranteeing well- functioning vascular access. It helps to reduce the number of possible complications, to ensure an effective dialysis and possibly also to prolong the lives of the dialysis patients. Figure 1: Dynamics from 2013 to 2015 Figure 2: Doppler ultrasound Figure 3: Measurement of recirculation References 1. Vascular Access Cannulation and Care - A Nursing Best Practice Guide for Arteriovenous Fistula, European Dialysis and Transplant Nurses Association/ European Renal Care Association (EDTNA/ERCA), 2014. 2. KDOQI Vascular Access Guidelines, 2006.