A Randomised Trial Comparing Drug Coated Balloons and Conventional Balloons for the Treatment of Stent Graft Stenosis in Dialysis Vascular Access.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies on arteriovenous fistulas have demonstrated the potential benefit of drug coated balloons (DCBs) in maintaining the patency of dialysis access. However, stenoses involving stent grafts were excluded from these studies. Therefore, the aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of DCBs in treating stent graft stenosis. METHODS: This was a prospective, single blinded, randomised controlled study. From March 2017 to April 2021, 40 patients with dysfunctional vascular access owing to stent graft stenosis were randomised to treatment with a DCB or conventional balloon. Clinical follow up was scheduled at one, three, and six months, and angiographic follow up was performed six months after the intervention. The primary outcome was angiographic late luminal loss at six months, and secondary outcomes included target lesion and access circuit primary patency at six months. RESULTS: Thirty-six participants completed follow up angiography. The DCB group had a superior mean late luminal loss at six months compared with the control group (1.82 mm ± 1.83 mm vs. 3.63 mm ± 1.08 mm, respectively, p = .001). All 40 patients completed clinical follow up. The DCB group had a superior six month target lesion primary patency compared with the control group [hazard ratio (HR) 0.23, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.07 - 0.71; p = .005). Additionally, the DCB group had a numerically higher six month access circuit primary patency rate than the control group, although the difference was not statistically significant (HR 0.54, 95% CI 0.26 - 1.11, p = .095). CONCLUSION: Conventional balloon angioplasty is not durable in stent graft stenosis treatment. Treatment with DCBs provides less angiographic late luminal loss and potentially superior primary patency of the target lesion than treatment with conventional balloons. [ClinicalTrials ID: NCT03360279.].

A randomized controlled trial of drug-coated balloon angioplasty in venous anastomotic stenosis of dialysis arteriovenous grafts.

OBJECTIVE: Paclitaxel-coated balloons are used to reduce neointimal hyperplasia in native arteriovenous (AV) fistulas. However, no study specifically evaluated their effect on venous anastomotic stenosis of dialysis grafts. We aimed to compare the efficacy of angioplasty with drug-coated balloons (DCBs) and angioplasty with conventional balloons (CBs) for venous anastomotic stenosis in dysfunctional AV grafts. METHODS: In this investigator-initiated, single-center, single-blinded, prospective randomized controlled trial, we randomly assigned 44 patients who had venous anastomotic stenosis to undergo angioplasty with DCBs (n = 22) or CBs (n = 22) from July 2015 to August 2018. Access function was observed per the hemodialysis center's protocols; ancillary angiographic follow-up was performed every 2 months for 1 year after the interventions. The primary end point was target lesion primary patency at 6 months. Secondary outcomes included anatomic and clinical success after angioplasty, circuit primary patency at 6 months and 1 year, and target lesion primary patency at 1 year. RESULTS: At 6 months, target lesion primary patency in the DCB group was significantly greater than that in the CB group (41% vs 9%; hazard ratio [HR], 0.393; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.194-0.795; P = .006), as was the primary patency of the entire access circuit (36% vs 9%; HR, 0.436; 95% CI, 0.218-0.870; P = .013). At 1 year, the target lesion primary patency in the DCB group remained greater than that in the CB group (23% vs 9%; HR, 0.477; 95% CI, 0.243-0.933; P = .019) but not the primary patency of the access circuit (14% vs 9%; HR, 0.552; 95% CI, 0.288-1.059; P = .056). No difference in anatomic or clinical success was observed; no major complications were noted. CONCLUSIONS: Angioplasty with DCBs showed a modest improvement in primary patency of venous anastomotic stenosis and all dialysis AV grafts at 6 months. The short-term benefit was not durable to 1 year, and reinterventions were eventually needed.

Timely thrombectomy can improve patency of hemodialysis arteriovenous fistulas.

OBJECTIVE: The urgency with which salvage of thrombosed vascular accesses for dialysis should be attempted remains unknown. We examined the effect of a timely thrombectomy approach on vascular access outcomes for dialysis. METHODS: A before-and-after study was conducted with patients on hemodialysis who had undergone endovascular thrombectomy. A timely thrombectomy initiative (ie, salvage within 24 hours of thrombosis diagnosis) was started in July 2015 at our institution. Data about thrombectomy procedures, performed within 1 year before and after the initiative was introduced, were abstracted from an electronic database. Immediate outcomes and patency outcomes were compared between the preinitiative (control) and postinitiative (intervention) groups. RESULTS: During the study period, 329 patients were enrolled, including 165 cases before and 164 cases after the initiative. The intervention group had more thrombectomy procedures performed within 24 hours (93% vs 55%; P < .01) and within 48 hours (97% vs 79%; P < .01) than the control group. No between-group differences in procedural success or clinical success rates were found. At 3 months, the intervention group had a higher postintervention primary patency rate than the control group, although this did not reach statistical significance (58% vs 48%; P = .06). After stratification into native or graft accesses, the patency benefit was observed in the native access group (68% vs 50%; P = .03) but not in the graft access group (50% vs 46%; P = .65). After adjusting for potential confounders, timely thrombectomy remained an independent predictor of postintervention primary patency (hazard ratio, 0.449; 95% confidence interval, 0.224-0.900; P = .02) for native dialysis accesses. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that a timely thrombectomy approach, in which salvage is attempted within 24 hours of thrombosis diagnosis, improves postintervention primary patency of native but not graft accesses for dialysis.

Deficiency of circulating progenitor cells associated with vascular thrombosis of hemodialysis patients.

Background: Hemodialysis (HD) patients have an increased risk of thrombosis. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), which function in vascular repair, are deficient in HD patients. Nonetheless, the relationship between EPC deficiency and thrombosis in HD patients is unknown. Methods: From January 2010 to December 2012, circulating levels of EPCs that were positive for CD34 and kinase insert domain receptor (KDR) were measured in 269 HD patients. Patients received prospective follow-ups at 6-month intervals until May 2015. The primary outcome was the composite of HD access thrombosis and systemic vascular thrombosis. Results: There were 141 thrombotic events, 50 systemic vascular thrombotic events and 116 HD access thrombotic events. We found significantly negative associations between CD34 + KDR + tertile and overall thrombotic events (low: 61%; middle: 56%; high: 40%; P = 0.02), systemic vascular thrombotic events (low: 27%; middle: 18%; high: 10%; P = 0.03) and HD access thrombotic events (low: 52%; middle: 46%; high: 36%; P = 0.02). Univariate analysis indicated that systemic vascular thrombotic events were positively associated with age, diabetes, dyslipidemia, vascular disease history, urea clearance, albumin and C-reactive protein (CRP), and negatively associated with CD34 + KDR + cell count. HD access thrombosis was positively associated with vascular disease history and CRP, and negatively associated with CD34 + KDR + cell count. Multivariate analysis indicated that a low CD34 + KDR + cell count was an independent risk factor for both types of thrombosis. Conclusions: Our study of a population of HD patients showed that a low level of circulating EPCs is associated with thrombosis.

Deficiency of Endothelial Progenitor Cells Associates with Graft Thrombosis in Patients Undergoing Endovascular Therapy of Dysfunctional Dialysis Grafts.

BACKGROUND: The deficiency of endothelial progenitor cells has been demonstrated to be associated with cardiovascular events in patients undergoing dialysis. However, their correlation with dialysis graft outcomes remains unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between circulating endothelial progenitor cells and dialysis graft outcomes. METHODS: After excluding 14 patients with acute coronary syndrome, decompensated heart failure or graft thrombosis in the prior three months, a total of 120 patients undergoing dialysis who underwent endovascular therapy of dysfunctional dialysis grafts were prospectively enrolled. Blood was sampled from study subjects in the morning of a mid-week non-dialysis day. Surface makers of CD34, KDR, and CD133 were used in combination to determine the number of circulating endothelial progenitor cells. All participants were prospectively followed until June 2013. RESULTS: The median follow-up duration was 13 months, within which 62 patients experienced at least one episode of graft thrombosis. Patients with graft thrombosis had lower CD34+KDR+ cell counts compared with patients without graft thrombosis (median 4.5 vs. 8 per 105 mononuclear cells, p = 0.02). Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated thrombosis-free survival was lower in the low CD34+KDR+ cell count group (30%) than in the high CD34+KDR+ cell count group (61%; p = 0.007). Univariate analysis showed diabetes, high sensitive C-reactive protein, lesion length and CD34+KDR+ cell counts associated with graft thrombosis. Multivariate analyses confirmed an independent association between low CD34+KDR+ cell counts and graft thrombosis (hazard ratio, 2.52; confidence interval, 1.43-4.44; p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated an independent association between low circulating endothelial progenitor cell counts and dialysis graft thrombosis.

Primary Endovascular Intervention for Acute Mesenteric Ischemia Performed by Interventional Cardiologists - A Single Center Experience.

The current standard care for acute mesenteric ischemia (AMEI) involves urgent revascularization and resection of the necrotic bowel. Since 2012, we have used an AMEI protocol of our own design, which focused on early treatment and allowed interventional cardiologists to become involved when interventional radiologist was not available. A total of 8 patients were treated, and two interventional cardiologists performed all the stenting procedures. The procedure success rate was 100% in patients with non-calcified lesions (6/8). The 30-day survival rate was 100% in patients with angiographic success, and was 0% in patients with failed procedure. In two patients with total occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery, laparotomy was avoided when interventions were successful and completed within six hours of protocol activation. Four surviving patients were discharged after short intensive care unit stays (less than 48 hours); these patients returned to and remained at home throughout their 90-day follow-up. The overall procedure success rate and 30-day survival rate were both 75%. There was no access site or intervention-related complications. Using our protocol, we believe that primary endovascular treatment for AMEI is feasible. In geographic regions where healthcare resources are lacking, a time-efficient strategy adopted by interventional cardiologists should be considered for the purpose of saving lives and possibly even avoiding open laparotomy.

Circulating Progenitor Cells Affect Thrombosis of Dialysis Arteriovenous Fistulas.

BACKGROUND: Arteriovenous fistula (AVF) thrombosis is a relevant cause of morbidity in hemodialysis (HD) patients. The number of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) has been identified as a surrogate marker for vascular repair and health. Deficiency of EPCs has been demonstrated in dialysis patients to be associated with vascular events. Nonetheless, their role in thrombosis of AVFs remains unknown. METHODS: From January 2010 to May 2013, 147 HD patients with dysfunctional AVFs were enrolled. Surface makers including CD34, KDR and CD133 were used in combination to determine the number of circulating EPCs. All participants were prospectively followed at 6-month interval until December 2015. The primary outcome was thrombosis of dialysis AVFs. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 47 months, within which 42 patients experienced at least one episode of AVF thrombosis. Patients with AVF thrombosis had lower CD34+KDR+ cell counts compared with patients without thrombosis (median 5 vs. 13 per 150,000 mononuclear cells, p < 0.001). Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated an inverse relationship between CD34+KDR+ cell count tertiles and thrombosis-free patency (59, 69 and 86% for low, middle and high tertiles; p = 0.02). Using Cox regression analysis, AVF thrombosis was predicted by baseline CD34+KDR+ cell counts (hazards ratio (HR) 0.963, 95% CI 0.928-1.000, p = 0.05) and tertiles (high vs. low, HR 3.266, 95% CI 1.380-7.728, p < 0.01). In multivariate analysis, only CD34+KDR+ cell tertiles, C-reactive protein and lesion length remained independent predictors for thrombosis. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated an independently reverse association between circulating EPCs and thrombosis of dialysis AVFs. Further studies are warranted to ascertain whether EPCs serve as a marker or a therapeutic target for AVF thrombosis.

Pulmonary Hypertension in Hemodialysis Patients Following Repeated Endovascular Thrombectomy.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of pulmonary hypertension is unusually high in Taiwanese patients with end-stage renal disease. Thrombosis of hemodialysis grafts is common and pulmonary embolism has been reported after endovascular thrombectomy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between pulmonary hypertension and endovascular thrombectomy of hemodialysis grafts. METHODS: One hundred and ten patients on hemodialysis via arteriovenous grafts were enrolled in our study. The mean pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) was measured by right heart catheterization. Clinical information was collected by review of medical records. Comorbid cardiopulmonary disease was evaluated by echocardiography and chest X-ray. The history of patient vascular access thrombosis was reviewed from database, hemodialysis records, and interviews with staff at hemodialysis centers. RESULTS: Fifty-two participants (47%) had pulmonary hypertension diagnosed by right heart catheterization. There was no difference in the number of thrombectomy procedures between patients with and without pulmonary hypertension. Based on multivariate analysis, the number of prior endovascular thrombectomy procedures did not correlate with mean PAP (F-value = 1.10, p = 0.30) nor was it associated with pulmonary hypertension (odds ratio = 0.92, p = 0.17). CONCLUSIONS: Prior endovascular arteriovenous graft thrombectomies were not associated with pulmonary hypertension or increased mean PAP in end-stage renal disease patients on maintenance hemodialysis.

Very late recurrence of sinus of Valsalva aneurysm rupture after patch repair.

BACKGROUND: Sinus of Valsalva aneurysm (SVA) is an uncommon cardiac defect accounting for only 1% of congenital cardiac anomalies and the most common complication is ruptured into the atrium or ventricle. Very late recurrence of ruptured SVA after patch repair is extremely rare. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case of 57-year-old man had received repair for ruptured Sinus of Valsalva aneurysm at 19 ages. In the clinics, he presented with exertional dyspnea and leg swelling. The serial examination disclosed he had bicuspid aortic valve and very late rupture of SVA connecting to right atrium. After surgical repair again, he was discharged smoothly. CONCLUSION: A very late recurrence of ruptured SVA after surgical repair was rare. We reported a case with unique echocardiographic presentation and a successful repair.

Effect of prolonged pressure equalization on final drifting during pressure wire studies.

Pressure drifting is a troublesome error in invasive coronary function tests. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between prolonged and short-time pressure equalizations in pressure drifting. Pressure drifting was defined as the pressure gradient between the mean pressure of the distal wire sensor (Pd) and aortic pressure (Pa) when the wire was withdrawn to the tip of the guiding catheter. Significant drifts 1 and 2 were defined as the absolute values of pressure gradients > 2 and > 3 mmHg, respectively. A logistic regression model was used to evaluate the associations between prolonged pressure equalization and each pressure drifting. The prolonged pressure equalization strategy was associated with a lower incidence of drift 1 than the short-time pressure equalization strategy (6.84% vs. 16.92%, p < 0.05). However, no statistical differences were found in the incidence of drift 2 between the prolonged and short-time pressure equalization strategies (4.27% vs. 7.69%, p = 0.34). In the multivariable regression model, only the prolonged pressure equalization strategy predicted a lower incidence of pressure drift 1. In conclusion, the prolonged pressure equalization strategy was associated with a lower incidence of significant pressure drifting with more stringent thresholds than the short-time pressure equalization strategy.

Subclinical myocardial injury increases the risk of heart failure in patients with and without type 2 diabetes post-acute coronary syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the effect of subclinical myocardial injury (sMi) on heart failure (HF) risk after acute coronary syndrome (ACS). We examined the frequency patterns of sMi after ACS among patients with and without diabetes mellitus (DM), and the influence of sMis on HF risk at 1 year. METHODS: Fifty patients with ACS who underwent revascularization were prospectively enrolled. After discharge, serial study visits were conducted and high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-TnT) levels were checked at 3-month intervals for 1 year. sMi was defined as hs-TnT ≥14 ng/L without clinical symptoms. The primary endpoint was a composite of post-ACS chronic HF or significant left ventricular (LV) dysfunction without HF symptoms. A multivariable logistic regression model was used for risk evaluation. RESULTS: The mean patient age was 58 years, and 90% were men. Overall, 44% of patients had DM, and the median LV ejection fraction at discharge was 56%. Patients with DM had a higher incidence of sMi than those without DM (63.6% vs. 32.1%, P < 0.05). sMi occurred at least twice in most patients, and the prevalence declined over time in DM, but not in non-DM. Fourteen patients (28%) met the primary endpoint at 1 year, and the risk was higher in patients with DM (odds ratio: 4.99) and patients with sMi (odds ratio: 6.26). However, sMi was not a mediator of the association between DM and HF risk. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with DM had a higher incidence of sMi. Nonetheless, sMi increased the risk of HF after ACS, irrespective of diabetes status.

Heart rhythm complexity analysis in patients with inferior ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Heart rhythm complexity (HRC), a subtype of heart rate variability (HRV), is an important tool to investigate cardiovascular disease. In this study, we aimed to analyze serial changes in HRV and HRC metrics in patients with inferior ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) within 1 year postinfarct and explore the association between HRC and postinfarct left ventricular (LV) systolic impairment. We prospectively enrolled 33 inferior STEMI patients and 74 control subjects and analyzed traditional linear HRV and HRC metrics in both groups, including detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) and multiscale entropy (MSE). We also analyzed follow-up postinfarct echocardiography for 1 year. The STEMI group had significantly lower standard deviation of RR interval (SDNN), and DFAα2 within 7 days postinfarct (acute stage) comparing to control subjects. LF power was consistently higher in STEMI group during follow up. The MSE scale 5 was higher at acute stage comparing to control subjects and had a trend of decrease during 1-year postinfarct. The MSE area under scale 1-5 showed persistently lower than control subjects and progressively decreased during 1-year postinfarct. To predict long-term postinfarct LV systolic impairment, the slope between MSE scale 1 to 5 (slope 1-5) had the best predictive value. MSE slope 1-5 also increased the predictive ability of the linear HRV metrics in both the net reclassification index and integrated discrimination index models. In conclusion, HRC and LV contractility decreased 1 year postinfarct in inferior STEMI patients, and MSE slope 1-5 was a good predictor of postinfarct LV systolic impairment.

Arterial compression by an adjacent venous stent graft in a patient undergoing dialysis.

BACKGROUND: Stent graft is effective for management of balloon-angioplasty-related complications in hemodialysis access. These complications include post-angioplasty venous rupture, dissection/recoil, and acute formation of pseudoaneurysm. CASE REPORT: We report a stent-graft complication that caused immediate acute arterial insufficiency by external compression. An 84-year-old woman presented with acute arteriovenous graft thrombosis. During percutaneous balloon thrombectomy, a stent graft was placed because of persistent recoil and mural thrombus, but the flow into the arteriovenous graft immediately ceased. External compression of the brachial artery was observed. A nitinol self-expandable stent was deployed in the brachial artery to oppose the external compression. The flow in the arteriovenous graft was recovered. CONCLUSION: This case demonstrates the possibility of arterial compression by an adjacent venous stent graft, especially in a patient with a thin habitus and a brachial-brachial arteriovenous graft. Detailed identification of the outflow vein anatomy before stent implantation is mandatory to avoid such a complication.

Thrombophilia Associated with Early Post-angioplasty Thrombosis of Dialysis Vascular Access.

AIM: Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) is widely used as the primary treatment for dialysis vascular access dysfunction. Nonetheless, many patients develop early occlusion after angioplasty. Thus, we investigated the role of thrombophilia in access occlusion within 30 days of angioplasty. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This case-control study included patients who underwent PTA for dialysis vascular access dysfunction. Patients who experienced occlusion within 30 days of angioplasty were included in the case group and those without occlusion for at least 30 days after angioplasty were included in the control group. All patients were tested for protein C, protein S, antithrombin III, lupus anticoagulant, and anticardiolipin antibodies. RESULTS: From February to October 2015, 462 patients underwent PTA for dialysis vascular access dysfunction. Forty-one patients (8.9%) had early occlusion within 30 days of angioplasty. The case group had more graft accesses (73 vs. 31%, P < 0.001) and thrombotic occlusions (67 vs. 15%, P < 0.001). A higher incidence of protein C (10 vs. 2%), protein S (15 vs. 5%), and antithrombin III (10 vs. 2%) deficiency and elevated anticardiolipin antibody (22 vs. 10%) levels were observed in the case group. Overall, 26 patients (63%) in the case group had at least one thrombophilic factor, compared with 15 patients (37%) in the control group (unadjusted odds ratio [OR], 3.004; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.223-7.380; P = 0.027). After adjustment for confounding factors, the association between thrombophilic factors and early occlusion remained (adjusted OR, 3.806; 95% CI, 1.018-14.220; P = 0.047). CONCLUSION: Thrombophilia is associated with early occlusion after angioplasty for hemodialysis vascular access.

Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 Levels and Postangioplasty Restenosis of Arteriovenous Fistulas.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Inflammation is relevant in restenosis of atherosclerotic vascular diseases, but its role in dialysis arteriovenous fistula remains unknown. In animal studies, upregulation of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 has been shown in venous segments of arteriovenous fistula. We, therefore, aimed to investigate serial changes in circulating monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty of dialysis arteriovenous fistulas and its relation to restenosis. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: Fifty-nine patients with dysfunctional arteriovenous fistulas that were referred for percutaneous transluminal angioplasty were enrolled prospectively between January of 2010 and July of 2012. Three of them were excluded due to percutaneous transluminal angioplasty failure or acute infection. Blood was sampled from arteriovenous fistulas at baseline, 2 days, 2 weeks, and 3 months after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. Clinical follow-up was continued monthly for 3 months. Angiographic follow-up was arranged at the end of 3 months. Seventeen patients without significant stenosis were enrolled as the control group. RESULTS: Fifty-six patients completed clinical follow-up. Significant increases in monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 were observed at 2 days and 2 weeks (both P<0.001) after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. Twenty-three (41%) patients had symptomatic restenosis. The restenosis group had a higher percentage change in monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 levels at 2 days (median =47%; interquartile range, 27%-65% versus median =17%; interquartile range, 10%-25%; P<0.001) after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty compared with the patent group. Fifty-two patients completed angiographic follow-up. A positive correlation between relative luminal loss and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 increase at 2 days after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty was found (r=0.53; P<0.001). In multivariate analysis, postangioplasty monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 increase at 2 days was an independent predictor of restenosis. Using receiver operator characteristic analysis, >25% postangioplasty increase of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 was significantly associated with restenosis after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (hazard ratio, 5.36; 95% confidence interval, 1.81 to 15.8). CONCLUSIONS: Circulating monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 levels were elevated 2 days and 2 weeks after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. Early postangioplasty increase of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 level was associated with restenosis of arteriovenous fistulas.

Right Heart Catheterization via Dialysis Arteriovenous Shunts in End-Stage Renal Disease Patients.

OBJECTIVES: Right heart catheterization is an important diagnostic tool but carries risks of adverse events. Little is known about the feasibility and safety of using dialysis arteriovenous (AV) shunts. We aim to evaluate the feasibility and safety of using dialysis AV shunts for access in right heart catheterization. METHODS: Hemodialysis patients who required right heart catheterization were prospectively enrolled. A 7 Fr sheath was inserted and a balloon-tipped pulmonary artery catheter was advanced for right heart catheterization. Patients were followed for 1 month, and technical success, procedure details, and complications were recorded. RESULTS: Thirteen patients received right heart catheterization via AV shunts. Three patients were evaluated for heart failure, and 10 were examined for pulmonary hypertension. Median patient age was 69 years (interquartile range [IQR], 58-77 years), and median shunt age was 50 months (IQR, 32-75 months). Five shunts were located in the upper arm, 2 were in the right arm, and 5 were native fistulas. All AV shunt punctures were successful on the first attempt. All right heart catheterizations were completed via AV shunts, and the technical success rate was 100%. Median fluoroscopy time was 6.9 minutes. No venous access complications or right heart catheterization-related complications occurred immediately after the procedure or during the 1-month follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: AV dialysis shunts can be used for venous access for right heart catheterization with acceptable feasibility and patient tolerability. Further randomized studies are needed to confirm the benefits of this approach compared with other approaches.