ABSTRACT
Objective To observe the long-term clinical effects of Fogarty catheter on arteriovenous fistula thrombosis and reperfusion rate in patients on hemodialysis. Methods The thrombosed vascular access was incised and F4 or F5 Fogarty catheter was inserted. After the Fogarty catheter passed through the thrombus, the heparin saline was infused into the balloon and then the catheter was pulled back. All the patients were followed up for 5-48 months. Results In 14 cases of total 15 patients embolisms were removed successfully and the blood flow during hemodialysis reached more than 200 ml/min. The catheter use time was (21.5±15.4) months in average and the longest use time was 48 months. Conclusions The recent and long-term effects of Fogarty catheter is good for arteriovenous fistula thrombosis, which prolongs the use period of autologous arteriovenous fistula and is worthy to be popularized.