Abstract
Introduction: Delivering requisite anesthesia for endovascular treatment of dysfunctional arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) under a targeted nerve block can achieve reasonable analgesia. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided selective nerve block (SNB) during percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) of dysfunctional arteriovenous access. Methods: Two hundred forty-six patients with dysfunctional radiocephalic AVF undergoing PTA were enrolled in this prospective, randomized controlled trial at the Department of Nephrology, Haidian Hospital, Peking University Third Hospital from June 1, 2022, to August 31, 2023. The patients were randomized into either the SNB group (SNB group, n = 123) or the local infiltration anesthesia group (LA group, n = 123). A visual analog scale (VAS) from no pain (= 0) to worst pain possible (= 10) was used to assess the pain intensity. Patient and operator satisfaction were graded from 0 to 2: 0, not satisfied at all; 1, partially satisfied; 2, satisfied. The AVF patency at 1 and 3 months after PTA was also evaluated. Results: Compared with the LA group, the SNB group had significantly lower VAS scores (Z = −7.193, p < 0.001) and required fewer additional anesthetics during the operation (χ2 = −4.847, p = 0.028). Patient and operator satisfaction were significantly higher in the SNB group (p < 0.05). Eight patients in the SNB group encountered grade 3 motor paralysis after the operation, and they all recovered within 60 min. There was no significant difference in primary patency rates of the fistula between the two groups either at 1 month or 3 months after the operation (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Compared with LA, ultrasound-guided SNB has advantages over the LA during endovascular treatment of dysfunctional hemodialysis (HD) fistulas. It can provide safe and efficient analgesia with excellent procedural satisfaction in HD patients.
