Revision Using Distal Inflow for the Treatment of Dialysis Access Steal Syndrome: A Systematic Review

The aim of this systematic review is to establish the efficacy of revision using distal inflow (RUDI) on the primary endpoints of complete dialysis access steal syndrome (DASS) resolution and arteriovenous fistula (AVF) longevity. An electronic search of literature from 1966 to 2017 in CINAHL, Medline, Embase and the Cochrane library according to PRISMA standards was conducted. Quality evaluations and recommendations for practice were examined. Data on power, age, gender, comorbidities, arterial inflow, conduit material, fistulae type, follow-up, failure incidence, ischaemia grade, modality of diagnosis, morbidity and mortality were subjected to pooled analysis of prevalence at a 95% confidence interval (CI). Eleven studies involving 130 individuals with a median age of 57 [interquartile ranges (IQR), 54–65] and equal gender distribution were conducted. Of the patients with diabetes mellitus (67.3%), the most common type of AVF with DASS was brachiocephalic AVF (73.7%). Overall, the prevalence of success was 82.0% (95%CI, 74.4%–89.6%) over 12 months (IQR, 1–40 months). Grade 3 ischaemia was the most common type of DASS (49.2%). Grade 4 had the worst outcomes compared with grades 2 and 3. The overall morbidity was 3% with no mortality. Overall, RUDI is an effective treatment for various grades of DASS and their longevity.