Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) grafts for haemodialysis: patency and complications compared with those of saphenous vein grafts.

A comparison has been made between polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and saphenous vein as graft material for the construction of arteriovenous fistulas for use in haemodialysis. Fifty patients with PTFE grafts have been examined and compared with 70 patients with saphenous vein grafts. At eighteen months the accumulative patency rate was 69.8% for PTFE grafts and 68.9% for saphenous grafts. Although the PTFE grafts were similar in terms of patency, their complication rate was higher. The infection rate and distal ischaemia rate for PTFE grafts were double those of the vein grafts. Two patients developed median and ulnar nerve paralysis respectively shortly after implantation of PTFE grafts. Because of this it is recommended that their use be restricted to the lower limb. Despite a higher incidence of complications, PTFE grafts are a satisfactory substitute if a suitable saphenous vein is not available.