A functional arteriovenous fistula is important for adequate hemodialysis. A number of risk factors can cause a fistula to show early failure.
Early failure: fistula never considered useful (due to thrombosis, failure to mature, inadequate blood flow)
Risk factors for early failure:
(1) distal location in the forearm
(2) female gender
(3) level of surgical expertise shown by the surgeon
(4) diabetes mellitus
(5) vascular stenosis (adjacent to anastomosis, venous outflow)
