Background: Little is known about the relationship of cannulation practices in dialysis facilities with the frequency of failed cannulations, complications and subsequent vascular access (VA) failure.
Methods: In an observational study the incidence of mis-cannulations and related complications were observed. Patient characteristics, comorbidities and VA characteristics like type of VA were correlated with occurrence of cannulation-related complications. In addition, the cannulation technique and practice patterns like needle direction, tourniquet use and years of experience of dialysis nurses were registered.
Results: During the study period, 37% of patients with autogenous arteriovenous fistulae (AVF), and 19% of patients with arteriovenous grafts (AVG) had more than 10 miscannulations. Cannulation-induced haematoma resulted into single-needle (SN) and catheter dialysis in 40% of the patients. The use of central venous catheters (CVC) and SN dialysis were significant predictors of VA failure (p <0.0001).
Conclusion: This study demonstrated a high incidence of unsuccessful cannulation procedures and cannulation-related complications necessitating catheter and SN dialysis. The type and location of the VA is significantly related to occurrence of unsuccessful and complicated cannulation.