The article describes novel method of vascular access quality assessment by means of combined measurement of recirculation with normal and inverse needles placement and calculation of vascular access blood flow from the recirculation data. Blood flow values seen in a large group of patients ranged from as low as 200 ml/min up to as high as 2 l/min. Females and diabetics exhibited lower values as compared to males and non-diabetics. The method enables to detect a number of anomalous sates which cannot be detected by conventional means based on monitoring of pressures or recirculation measurement at normal needles placement only (stenosis between both needles, uintentionally erroneous placement of needles in accesses with a loop). Assessment of access blood flow is suitable also for evaluation of interventions on the access, such as percutaneous transluminal angioplasty or surgical narrowing of anastomosis in case of too high blood flow.

Vseobecná fakultní nemocnice a 1 lékarská fakulta Univerzity Karlovy Praha Interní oddĕlení Strahov Sermírská 5 169 00 Praha 6 Czech Republic