Role of renal vascular coordinator on access flow dysfunction: A quality improvement initiative on improving patency rate

A renal vascular coordinator (RVC) is a single point-of-contact allied health professional in the early detection and timely intervention of flow dysfunction. In Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH), RVC performs access ultrasonography assessment and assists in reviewing direct referrals about dysfunctional arteriovenous fistula (AVF)/arteriovenous graft (AVG) from community dialysis centres and plans for appointments with interventional nephrologists and vascular surgeons. We conducted a prospective study from April 2020 to December 2022 to evaluate the appointment-to-intervention time (AIT) and patency rate (PR) of vascular access interventions. Secondary outcome was the percentage of vascular access loss. Ninety-three patients were referred to the RVC and were offered thrombectomy or angioplasty. Twenty-seven patients were excluded from the analysis (did not require intervention (9), admitted without RVC assessment (13), defaulted (4), or bypassed an RVC appointment to their first intervention (1)). The median time from referral to their first RVC visit was 4 (3-6) days. The median AIT for the RVC group was 6 (3-11) days (21.5% within 48 h). The median AIT for the non-RVC group was 6 (2.3-12.8) days (25.5% within 48 h, <i>p</i> = 1.0). The 6-month and 12-month post-intervention PR was 71% and 61.3%, respectively. Fifty-one of the remaining ninety-three patients had previous procedures done to their AVF before April 2020 without RVC involvement. The 6-month and 12-month post-intervention PR was 51% (<i>p</i> < 0.016) and 15.7% (<i>p</i> < 0.00001), respectively. The percentage of vascular access loss was similar in both RVC and non-RVC groups (4.3% vs 2%, <i>p</i> = 0.44). With the addition of RVC, vascular access outcome is improved with longer PR for up to 12 months, with no difference in AIT and number of vascular access losses.