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Fertility and Sterility Oct 2021To quantify the efficacy of medical management of uterine arteriovenous malformation (AVM) and compare efficacy between different classes of medication. In addition, we... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study Meta-Analysis
OBJECTIVE
To quantify the efficacy of medical management of uterine arteriovenous malformation (AVM) and compare efficacy between different classes of medication. In addition, we evaluated for factors associated with treatment success and pregnancy outcomes after medical management.
DESIGN
Systematic review and meta-analysis.
SETTING
Not applicable.
PATIENT(S)
Thirty-two studies representing 121 premenopausal women with medically-treated uterine AVM were identified via database searches of MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and cited references.
INTERVENTION(S)
Medical treatment with progestins, gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRH-a), methotrexate, combined hormonal contraception , uterotonics, danazol, or combination of the above.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)
Primary outcome of treatment success was defined as AVM resolution without subsequent procedural interventions. Secondary outcome was treatment complication (readmission or transfusion).
RESULT(S)
The overall success rate of medical management was 88% (106/121). After adjusting for clustering effects, success rates for progestin (82.5%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 70.1%-90.4%), GnRH-a (89.3%; 99% CI, 71.4%-96.5%) and methotrexate (90.0%; 99% CI, 55.8%-98.8%) were significantly different from the null hypothesis of 50% success. The agents with the lowest adjusted proportion of complications were progestins (10.0%; 99% CI, 3.3%-26.8%) and GnRH-a (10.7%; 99% CI, 3.5%-28.4%). No clinical factors were found to predict treatment success. Twenty-six subsequent pregnancies are described, with no reported recurrences of AVM.
CONCLUSION(S)
Medical management for uterine AVM is a reasonable approach in a well selected patient. These data should be interpreted in the context of significant publication bias.
Topics: Arteriovenous Fistula; Blood Transfusion; Clinical Decision-Making; Female; Humans; Patient Readmission; Patient Selection; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Rate; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; Treatment Outcome; Uterine Artery; Uterus
PubMed: 34130801
DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2021.05.095 -
The Cochrane Database of Systematic... Apr 2022Patients with kidney failure require vascular access to receive maintenance haemodialysis (HD), which can be achieved by an arteriovenous fistula or a central venous... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Patients with kidney failure require vascular access to receive maintenance haemodialysis (HD), which can be achieved by an arteriovenous fistula or a central venous catheter (CVC). CVC use is related to frequent complications such as venous stenosis and infection. Venous stenosis occurs mainly due to trauma caused by the entrance of the catheter into the venous lumen and repeated contact with the vein wall. A biofilm, a colony of irreversible adherent and self-sufficient micro-organisms embedded in a self-produced matrix of exopolysaccharides, is associated with the development of infections in patients with indwelling catheters. Despite its clinical relevance, the treatment of catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs) in patients receiving maintenance HD remains controversial, especially regarding catheter management. Antibiotic lock solutions may sterilise the catheter, treat the infection and prevent unnecessary catheter procedures. However, such treatment may also lead to antibiotic resistance or even clinical worsening in certain more virulent pathogens. Catheter removal and delayed replacement may remove the source of infection, improving infectious outcomes, but this approach may also increase vascular access stenosis, thrombosis or both, or even central vein access failure. Catheter guidewire exchange attempts to remove the source of infection while maintaining access to the same vein and, therefore, may improve clinical outcomes and preserve central veins for future access.
OBJECTIVES
To assess the benefits and harms of different interventions for CRBSI treatment in patients receiving maintenance HD through a permanent CVC, such as systemic antibiotics alone or systemic antibiotics combined with either lock solutions or catheter guidewire exchange or catheter replacement.
SEARCH METHODS
We searched the Cochrane Kidney and Transplant Register of Studies up to 21 December 2021 through contact with the Information Specialist using search terms relevant to this review. Studies in the Register were identified through searches of CENTRAL, MEDLINE, and EMBASE, conference proceedings, the International Clinical Trials Register (ICTRP) Search Portal, and ClinicalTrials.gov.
SELECTION CRITERIA
We included all randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs evaluating the management of CRBSI in permanent CVCs in people receiving maintenance HD.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two authors independently selected studies for inclusion, assessed their risk of bias, and performed data extraction. Results were expressed as risk ratios (RR) or hazard ratios (HR) for dichotomous outcomes and mean difference (MD) for continuous outcomes, with their 95% confidence intervals (CI). The certainty of the evidence was assessed using GRADE.
MAIN RESULTS
We identified two RCTs and one quasi-RCT that enrolled 760 participants addressing the treatment of CRBSIs in people (children and adults) receiving maintenance HD through CVC. No two studies compared the same interventions. The quasi-RCT compared two different lock solutions (tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) and heparin) with concurrent systemic antibiotics. One RCT compared systemic antibiotics alone and in association with an ethanol lock solution, and the other compared systemic antibiotics with different catheter management strategies (guidewire exchange versus removal and replacement). The overall certainty of the evidence was downgraded due to the small number of participants, high risk of bias in many domains, especially randomisation, allocation, and other sources of bias, and missing outcome data. It is uncertain whether an ethanol lock solution used with concurrent systemic antibiotics improved CRBSI eradication compared to systemic antibiotics alone (RR 1.61, 95% CI 1.16 to 2.23) because the certainty of this evidence is very low. There were no reported differences between the effects of TPA and heparin lock solutions on cure rates (RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.74 to 1.15) or between catheter guidewire exchange versus catheter removal with delayed replacement, expressed as catheter infection-free survival (HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.43 to 1.79). To date, no results are available comparing other interventions. Outcomes such as venous stenosis and/or thrombosis, antibiotic resistance, death, and adverse events were not reported.
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
Currently, there is no available high certainty evidence to support one treatment over another for CRBSIs. The benefit of using ethanol lock treatment in combination with systemic antibiotics compared to systemic antibiotics alone for CRBSIs in patients receiving maintenance HD remains uncertain due to the very low certainty of the evidence. Hence, further RCTs to identify the benefits and harms of CRBSI treatment options are needed. Future studies should unify CRBSI and cure definitions and improve methodological design.
Topics: Adult; Catheter-Related Infections; Central Venous Catheters; Child; Heparin; Humans; Renal Dialysis; Sepsis
PubMed: 35363884
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD013554.pub2 -
Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine 2022Currently, percutaneous endovascular creation of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) shows excellent outcomes. However, few systematic research evidence to support clinical...
OBJECTIVE
Currently, percutaneous endovascular creation of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) shows excellent outcomes. However, few systematic research evidence to support clinical decision making on the benefit of endovascular AVF is available. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of endovascular AVF (endoAVF) in patients with renal failure.
METHODS
We searched the Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases for studies on endovascular or endovascular versus surgery for the creation of AVF. Two reviewers independently selected studies and extracted data. A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed by Review Manager 5.4 software (Revman, The Cochrane Collaboration, Oxford, United Kingdom) and Stata 15.0 (Stata Corp, College Station, TX, United States).
RESULTS
A total of 14 case series and 5 cohort studies, with 1,929 patients, were included in this study. The technique success was 98.00% for endoAVF (95% CI, 0.97-0.99; = 16.25%). There was no statistically significant difference in 3 cohort studies between endovascular and surgical AVF for procedural success (OR = 0.69; 95% CI, 0.04-11.98; = 0.80; = 53%). The maturation rates of endoAVF were 87.00% (95% CI, 0.79-0.93; = 83.96%), and no significant difference was observed in 3 cohort studies between the 2 groups (OR = 0.73; 95% CI, 0.20-2.63; = 0.63; = 88%). Procedure-related complications for endoAVF was 7% (95% CI, 0.04-0.17; = 78.31%), and it did not show significant difference in 4 cohort studies between the 2 groups (OR = 1.85; 95% CI, 0.37-9.16; = 0.45; = 59%).
CONCLUSION
The endovascular creation of AVF is potentially effective and safe. These important data may provide evidence to support clinicians and patients in making decisions with endovascular AVF. But further research is great necessary due to lack of randomized controlled studies.
PubMed: 36148078
DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.978285 -
Journal of the American Society of... Jun 2017The implementation of patient-centered care requires an individualized approach to hemodialysis vascular access, on the basis of each patient's unique balance of risks... (Review)
Review
The implementation of patient-centered care requires an individualized approach to hemodialysis vascular access, on the basis of each patient's unique balance of risks and benefits. This systematic review aimed to summarize current literature on fistula risks, including rates of complications, to assist with patient-centered decision making. We searched Medline from 2000 to 2014 for English-language studies with prospectively captured data on ≥100 fistulas. We assessed study quality and extracted data on study design, patient characteristics, and outcomes. After screening 2292 citations, 43 articles met our inclusion criteria (61 unique cohorts; >11,374 fistulas). Median complication rates per 1000 patient days were as follows: 0.04 aneurysms (14 unique cohorts; =1827 fistulas), 0.11 infections (16 cohorts; >6439 fistulas), 0.05 steal events (15 cohorts; >2543 fistulas), 0.24 thrombotic events (26 cohorts; =4232 fistulas), and 0.03 venous hypertensive events (1 cohort; =350 fistulas). Risk of bias was high in many studies and event rates were variable, thus we could not present pooled results. Studies generally did not report variables associated with fistula complications, patient comorbidities, vessel characteristics, surgeon experience, or nursing cannulation skill. Overall, we found marked variability in complication rates, partly due to poor quality studies, significant heterogeneity of study populations, and inconsistent definitions. There is an urgent need to standardize reporting of methods and definitions of vascular access complications in future clinical studies to better inform patient and provider decision making.
Topics: Arteriovenous Shunt, Surgical; Humans; Incidence; Postoperative Complications
PubMed: 28031406
DOI: 10.1681/ASN.2016040412 -
Journal of Vascular Surgery Dec 2015Over several decades, there has been an increase in the number of elderly patients requiring hemodialysis. These older patients typically have an increased incidence of... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study Meta-Analysis Review
OBJECTIVE
Over several decades, there has been an increase in the number of elderly patients requiring hemodialysis. These older patients typically have an increased incidence of comorbidities including diabetes, hypertension, and peripheral vascular disease. We undertook a systematic review of the current literature to assess outcomes of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) formation in the elderly and to compare the results of radiocephalic AVFs vs brachiocephalic AVFs in older patients.
METHODS
A literature search was performed using MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library. All retrieved articles published before December 31, 2014 (and in English) primarily describing the creation of hemodialysis vascular access for elderly patients were considered for inclusion. We report pooled AVF patency rates and a comparison of radiocephalic vs brachiocephalic AVF patency rates using odds ratios (ORs).
RESULTS
Of 199 relevant articles reviewed, 15 were deemed eligible for the review. The pooled 12-month primary and secondary AVF patency rates were 53.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 47.3-59.9) and 71.6% (95% CI, 59.2-82.7), respectively. Comparison of radiocephalic vs brachiocephalic AVF patency rates demonstrated that radiocephalic AVFs have inferior primary (OR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.55-0.93; P = .01) and secondary (OR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.58-1.00; P = .05) patency rates.
CONCLUSIONS
This meta-analysis confirms that adequate 12-month primary and secondary AVF patency rates can be achieved in elderly patients. Brachiocephalic AVFs have both superior primary and secondary patency rates at 12 months compared with radiocephalic AVFs. These important data can inform clinicians' and patients' decision-making about suitability of attempting AVF formation in older persons.
Topics: Aged; Arteriovenous Shunt, Surgical; Brachial Artery; Humans; Kidney Failure, Chronic; Radial Artery; Renal Dialysis; Treatment Outcome; Vascular Patency
PubMed: 26483002
DOI: 10.1016/j.jvs.2015.07.067 -
Kidney & Blood Pressure Research 2022Risk factors like female sex, fistula location, hypertension, albumin, diabetes, arteriovenous graft (AVG), age, and other factors are related to arteriovenous fistula... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Risk factors like female sex, fistula location, hypertension, albumin, diabetes, arteriovenous graft (AVG), age, and other factors are related to arteriovenous fistula thrombus (AVFT), but the consistency and magnitude of their associations have not been confirmed by meta-analysis.
OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this study was to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date synthesis of evidence on the association between potential risk factors and AVFT.
METHODS
In this systematic review and meta-analysis, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases were searched for articles published up to April 20th, 2022, and cohort, cross-sectional, and case-control studies examining the association (odds ratio [OR]) between potential risk factors and AVFT were identified. The other inclusion criteria were sufficient data for analysis and nonoverlapping datasets, excluding reviews, meta-analyses, and articles with overlapping datasets. Extracted variables included first author, publication year, study type, sample size, percentage of women, vascular access type, risk or protective factors, and measure of association (adjusted estimates of effect of all risk factors). The study protocol is registered at PROSPERO (CRD42020201884) and followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.
RESULTS
Among the 27 identified studies, data from 24 cohort, 2 case-control, and 1 cross-sectional study were included in this review. When compared to non-AVFT, our data showed that the significant risk factors were AVG (pooled OR = 6.28, 95% CI = 1.79-22.02, p = 0.004, I2 = 87%), age (pooled OR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.00-1.13, p = 0.05, I2 = 98%), female sex (pooled OR = 2.62, 95% CI = 2.56-2.69, p < 0.00001, I2 = 0%), C-reactive protein (pooled OR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.08-1.30, p = 0.0005, I2 = 90%), fistula site (distal) (pooled OR = 3.64, 95% CI = 1.74-7.62, p = 0.0006, I2 = 47%), hypertension (pooled OR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.00-1.47, p = 0.05, I2 = 46%), CD34+KDR+ cell (pooled OR = 1.85, 95% CI = 1.33-2.57, p = 0.0002, I2 = 0%), and eprex use (pooled OR = 5.36, 95% CI = 1.82-15.77, p = 0.002, I2 = 0%).
CONCLUSIONS
The meta-analysis suggests that AVG, age, female sex, CRP level, fistula site (distal), hypertension, CD34+KDR+ cell, and the use of eprex are independent risk factors for AVFT. Therefore, clinical medical staff should treat these risk factors carefully, identify them early, and prevent them early to reduce the occurrence of AVFT.
Topics: Female; Humans; Arteriovenous Fistula; Cross-Sectional Studies; Epoetin Alfa; Hypertension; Risk Factors; Thrombosis; Male
PubMed: 36116428
DOI: 10.1159/000526768 -
Kidney Medicine Mar 2022To facilitate the process of dialysis for patients with kidney failure, an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is created using either a surgical or percutaneous approach. We...
RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE
To facilitate the process of dialysis for patients with kidney failure, an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is created using either a surgical or percutaneous approach. We sought to compare the efficacy and procedural outcomes in creating an AVF percutaneously using Ellipsys (Avenu Medical) or WavelinQ (Becton Dickinson Medical) with surgery in all patients with kidney failure requiring a permanent AVF for dialysis.
STUDY DESIGN
Systematic review and meta-analysis.
SETTING & STUDY POPULATIONS
All patients requiring a permanent AVF for dialysis.
SELECTION CRITERIA FOR STUDIES
We included studies that compared either the Ellipsys device or WavelinQ directly with surgery to create an AVF for long-term dialysis.
DATA EXTRACTION
Two reviewers independently reviewed the studies and extracted the data. Conflicts were resolved with a discussion and approval from the senior author.
ANALYTICAL APPROACH
Fixed-effects or random-effects models were used to pool the fixed sizes and 95% CIs based on the level of heterogeneity.
RESULTS
There was no statistically significant difference observed between surgical AVF and endovascular AVF when comparing the primary outcomes of procedural success (OR = 1.44; 95% CI, 0.35, 5.88; = 0.61; I = 0%), complications (OR = 0.28; 95% CI, 0.06, 1.46; = 0.13; I = 69%), and the secondary outcomes of interest that included follow-up time (mean difference [MD] = -17.71; 95% CI, -189.53, 154.12; = 0.84; I = 94%), failure rate (OR = 1.03; 95% CI, 0.21, 5.13; = 0.97; I = 85%), and time to 2-needle cannulation (MD = -5.40; 95% CI, -38.88, 28.08; = 0.75; I = 0%). However, a statistically significant difference was seen among the 2 groups for procedural time (MD = -54.25; 95% CI, -59.78, -48.71; < 0.001; I = 98%), number of interventions needed to maintain patency (OR = 1.73; 95% CI, 1.22, 2.45; < 0.01; I = 94%), and primary patency rate (OR = 0.34; 95% CI, 0.23,0.52; < 0.001; I = 0%).
LIMITATIONS
The total number of studies included in this review was limited, with 3 of the 4 included studies being retrospective and only 1 being prospective. There was a lack of heterogeneity and randomization.
CONCLUSIONS
Percutaneous fistula creation using Ellipsys or WavelinQ is a unique and safe alternative with outcomes comparable to surgery. Future studies are needed, including observational studies in current clinical practice, to evaluate the efficacy and outcomes of endovascular AVF creation in clinical populations.
PubMed: 35386608
DOI: 10.1016/j.xkme.2021.100406 -
European Journal of Vascular and... Oct 2017Arteriovenous fistulae are the currently recommended gold standard vascular access modality for haemodialysis because of their prolonged patency, improved durability,... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Arteriovenous fistulae are the currently recommended gold standard vascular access modality for haemodialysis because of their prolonged patency, improved durability, and low risk of infection for those that mature. However, notable disadvantages are observed in terms of protracted maturation time, associated high rates of catheter use, and substantial abandonment rates. The aim of this study was to quantitatively summarize the outcomes of fistula patency, infection, maturation, and abandonment published in the scientific literature.
METHODS
This was a systematic review and meta-analyses of studies evaluating fistula outcomes. Literature searches were conducted in multiple databases to identify observational and interventional studies of mean fistula patency rates at 1 year, infection risk, maturation time, and abandonment. Digitisation software was used to simulate individual patient level data from Kaplan-Meier survival plots.
RESULTS
Over 8000 studies were reviewed, and from these, 318 studies were included comprising 62,712 accesses. For fistulas the primary unassisted, primary assisted, and secondary patency rates at one year were 64%, 73% and 79% respectively, however not all fistulas reported as patent could be confirmed as being clinically useful for dialysis (i.e. functional patency). For fistulas that were reported as mature, mean time to maturation was 3.5 months, however only 26% of created fistulas were reported as mature at 6 months and 21% of fistulas were abandoned without use. Overall risk of infection in fistula patients was 4.1% and the overall rate per 100 access days was 0.018.
CONCLUSIONS
Reported fistula patency rates may overstate their potential clinical utility when time to maturation, maturation rate, abandonment and infection are considered. Protracted maturation times, abandonment and infection all have a significant impact on evaluating the clinical utility of fistula creation. A rigorous and consistent set of outcomes definitions for hemodialysis access are necessary to clarify factors contributing to fistula success and the clinical consequence of fistula failure.
Topics: Arteriovenous Shunt, Surgical; Humans; Renal Dialysis; Renal Insufficiency; Risk Factors; Vascular Patency
PubMed: 28843984
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejvs.2017.06.024 -
International Journal of Environmental... Oct 2022Hemorrhage of arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is a rare condition during pregnancy. This study was proposed to pool the proportion of AVM hemorrhage per pregnancy. A... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Hemorrhage of arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is a rare condition during pregnancy. This study was proposed to pool the proportion of AVM hemorrhage per pregnancy. A systematic review and meta-analysis with three databases were performed to review the studies published until April 2022. The Newcastle Ottawa Scale was used for risk assessment of data quality. The meta-analysis was conducted by a generic inverse variance of double arcsine transformation with a random model using Stata software. Twelve studies were included in this review. The pooled proportion of AVM hemorrhage per pregnancy was 0.16 (95% CI: 0.08, 0.26). The subgroup analyses were carried out based on world regions and study designs, and the study duration with the highest proportion of each subgroup was Europe [0.35 (95% CI: 0.02, 0.79)], with retrospective review [0.18 (95% CI: 007, 0.32)] and 10 to 20 years of study duration [0.37 (95% CI: 0.06, 0.77)]. The AVM hemorrhage per pregnancy in this review was considered low. However, the conclusion must be carefully interpreted since this review had a small study limitation.
Topics: Pregnancy; Female; Humans; Intracranial Arteriovenous Malformations; Arteriovenous Fistula; Cerebral Hemorrhage; Retrospective Studies; Europe
PubMed: 36293763
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192013183 -
World Neurosurgery: X Jul 2023The coexistence of meningioma and dural arteriovenous fistula (dAVF) is a rare, but highly complex condition. Various pathophysiological mechanisms underlie intracranial... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
The coexistence of meningioma and dural arteriovenous fistula (dAVF) is a rare, but highly complex condition. Various pathophysiological mechanisms underlie intracranial meningiomas with continuous or distant dAVFs. We describe a case of coexisting meningioma and dAVF with a systematic review of the literature.
RESULT
Including the present case, there are 21 reported cases of coexisting intracranial dAVF and meningioma. The patients' ages ranged from 23 to 76 years, with a mean age of 61 years. The most common presenting symptom was headache. The dAVFs were commonly located at the transverse-sigmoid sinus (43%) and superior sagittal sinus (24%). The most common meningioma locations were the tentorium and parietal convexity. In 76% of the cases, the meningioma occluded the sinus. The most common dAVF treatment was transcatheter arterial embolization, followed by tumor resection (52%). Among the 20 cases with available outcome data, 90% reported favorable outcomes.
CONCLUSION
This report highlights some of the features of coexisting dAVF and meningioma and presents a systematic review of other reports on this phenomenon. Through an in-depth analysis of the literature, we highlight some of the leading theories regarding the causes of concomitant dAVF and meningiomas. Our report supports one of the leading theories that impaired venous return, whether through the occlusion of sinuses or sinus manipulation during surgery, plays a role in the development of dAVF. Further understanding may help guide future clinical decision-making and surgical planning.
PubMed: 37235061
DOI: 10.1016/j.wnsx.2023.100217