In 2009, more than 370,000 patients were treated with maintenance hemodialysis in the United Hemodialysis patients require a vascular access, which can be a catheter or a graft or enlarged blood vessel that can be punctured to remove and replace blood. Bacteremias and localized infections of the vascular access site are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in hemodialysis patients. Hemodiaylsis vascular access types, in order of increasing risk of infection, include arteriovenous fistulas created from the patient’s own blood vessels; arteriovenous grafts often constructed from synthetic materials; tunneled central lines; and nontunneled central lines. Other access devices,.
