Early use of the Gore-Tex Stretch Graft.

This study reports firstly the overall outcome with the 4-7 mm tapered Gore-Tex Stretch Vascular Graft and secondly the feasibility of early (< 14 days) cannulation hemodialysis in 270 consecutive patients for first-time forearm loop placement. Ninety-six (36%) cases were cannulated within 14 days and 78 cases within 7 days. The overall results with the stretch graft are excellent. The statistically significantly worse outcome with early cannulation was mainly due to a select patient population (as determined by proportional hazards regression analysis) being more acutely ill, urgently needing hemodialysis and having no other options for needle puncture. A prospective randomized study, however, is warranted to fully resolve the safety issue of early cannulation.