• Szu-Han Wang, Chih-Chang Ko, Yi-Ling Kuo, Yu-Wen Chiu, Jih-Sheng Wen, Ming-Cheng Wang, Ting-Hsing Chao, and Hsien-Yuan Chang.
• Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, ROC.
• J Chin Med Assoc. 2024 Mar 26.

BackgroundVascular access dysfunction is a great burden for hemodialysis patients. Early intervention of a dysfunctional arteriovenous shunt is associated with higher technical success and may improve midterm patency. This trial aimed to estimate the feasibility of a new system, the "rapid intervention team" (RIT) strategy.MethodsWe recruited hemodialysis patients who visited our hospital because of arteriovenous shunt dysfunction or failure to undergo an RIT strategy from September 1, 2019, to December 31, 2022. In addition, we included a control group comprising patients who underwent percutaneous intervention for arteriovenous shunt dysfunction or failure before this strategy was implemented from February 1, 2017, to December 31, 2022. Case number, time to intervention, all-cause mortality, cumulative survival rate, and number of patients who required temporary dialysis catheter insertion and recreation were compared between the two groups. The primary endpoints were double-lumen insertion, a composite outcome involving permanent catheter insertion, and the need for recreation. The secondary endpoint was all-cause mortality.ResultsWe enrolled 1,054 patients, including 544 (51.6%) and 510 (48.4%) in the RIT and control groups, respectively. Even with the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of cases significantly increased after the implementation of the RIT strategy (from 216 in 2019 to 828 in 2022, p for trend <0.001). The RIT group had a shortened time to intervention (p for trend <0.001). The implementation of the RIT strategy was significantly associated with a reduced risk of insertion of a temporary double-lumen catheter and recreation of vascular access (1% vs. 6% and 1% vs. 28%, respectively; both p < 0.01). The cumulative survival rate was not significantly different between the RIT and control groups (p = 0.16).ConclusionThe implementation of the RIT strategy improves the quantity and quality of percutaneous transluminal intervention for arteriovenous shunt dysfunction or failure in patients undergoing hemodialysis.Copyright © 2024, the Chinese Medical Association.

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