Introduction: Infection of arteriovenous fistula (AV) used for hemodialysis (HD) is associated with massive bleeding, sepsis development, formation of metastatic infectious foci, and a high risk of AV loss. Urgent management of an infected AV is crucial for successful treatment and AV salvage.
Case reports: We present the use of partial resection as a successful method of dealing with late AV infection in two cases. In case 1, the resection was performed due to an infection of the native arteriovenous fistula (AVF) with two defects above the drainage vein aneurysms. In case 2, partial resection and replacement of the prosthetic arteriovenous fistula (AVG) were done due to an infection of HD puncture site. The AVs remained patent in both cases, with no further signs of infection postoperatively and, most importantly, without the need to use a temporary HD catheter.
Conclusion: The establishment of a new AV is limited by the quality of the venous and arterial systems. All surgical, interventional and non-surgical means should be used to safely maintain the created AV patent. Provided that the requirements of an early indication are met, partial resection of the AV is the method of choice for AV infections and allows us to avoid using a permanent dialysis catheter in our patients.
Keywords: arteriovenous fistula; extracorporeal treatment; hemodialysis; infection; partial resection.