A randomized control trial of MuST for vascular access cannulation in hemodialysis patients: Contributions for a safe nursing intervention

Abstract

Functioning vascular access (VA) is crucial to patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis. Repeated cannulation of the VA increases the risk of complications, thereby compromising its survival. Although VA is not free of complications, guidelines recommend the rope-ladder (RL) cannulation technique. We conducted a randomized controlled trial of 101 renal patients receiving hemodialysis who required an arteriovenous fistula comparing the multiple single cannulation Technique (MuST) with the RL technique, to assess their survival and complications for 12 months. We found a low incidence in the development of aneurysms in the MuST group, but we were unable to demonstrate a difference in arteriovenous fistula survival between MuST and RL. Further studies are required to determine the benefits and patient safety of MuST.