Pulmonary embolism following successful thrombectomy of an arteriovenous dialysis fistula.

A hemodialysis patient was diagnosed with pulmonary embolism, shortly after successful thrombectomy of an autogenous arteriovenous fistula. Diagnostic testing revealed no alternative source for thromboembolism. Increased recognition of hypercoagulability as a common consequence of end-stage renal disease would suggest that dialysis patients would be at risk for thromboembolic events. A fully developed dialysis fistula may have sufficient luminal diameter to harbor subclinical or clinically significant venous thrombi. Clinicians should be alert to the possibility of venous emboli after fistula manipulation.