Table 3.
Time to fistula creation, time to first fistula use, and days of catheter-free fistula use during the first year of hemodialysis
| Variable | Pre–Vascular Access Team (2004–2005) | Early Vascular Access Team (2006–2008) | Late Vascular Access Team (2009–2011) | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days from dialysis start to creationa | 89 (67–127) | 75 (37–119) | 58 (26–112) | 0.04 |
| Days from fistula creation to first useb | 120 (90–235) | 203 (113–377) | 189 (117–331) | <0.001 |
| Days of catheter-free usec | 96 (0–293) | 43 (0–249) | 86 (0–248) | 0.71 |
| Days of follow-up timec | 325 (13–365) | 336 (6–365) | 340 (20–365) | 0.85 |
Summary measures are medians and interquartile ranges.
a
Analysis restricted to those who received the fistula after hemodialysis start (n=235).
b
Analysis restricted to those who used their fistula (n=311).
c
Time from fistula creation attempt date (or dialysis start date in the case of predialysis attempts; n=437) to end of year 1 (or earlier if follow-up was for <1 yr due to death, transfer out of the program, recovery of kidney function, receipt of a kidney transplant, or transfer to peritoneal dialysis).