Long-term results of saphenous vein graft arteriovenous fistulas.

The long-term results of autogenous saphenous vein grafts for vascular access were examined in 70 patients. The cumulative patency rate was 66 percent at 2 years and 40 percent at 3 years. No difference could be detected in the occlusion rate of grafts in patients who received a kidney transplant and those who did not. Intraoperative measurement of blood flow through the grafts did not prove useful as an indicator of long-term patency. No deaths were attributable to the grafts, and major complications were limited to infection in three patients and distal ischemia in two; these complications necessitated ligation of the graft in all five patients.