BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Dialysis adequacy is one the leading causes of mortality in hemodialysis patients. On the other hand, type of vascular access is considered as one of the effective variables in dialysis adequacy. This study was performed to compare dialysis adequacy in three types of vascular access, namely permanent catheter, fistula, and graft.

METHODS:This sectional study was performed in 151 hemodialysis patients, who were chosen through convenience sampling and were allocated to permanent catheter (n=66), fistula (n=66), and graft (n=19) groups. The study was conducted in the Hemodialysis Ward of Imam Reza Hospital in Kermanshah, Iran. Dialysis adequacy was evaluated and compared in the three groups using urea reduction ratio (URR) and Kt/V criteria.

FINDINGS:Based on URR and Kt/V criteria, the mean of dialysis adequacy was 58.46±20.13 and 1.26±0.34, respectively, mean differences of URR and Kt/V criteria were not significant in the three groups.

CONCLUSION:Our findings demonstrated that there were no differences between permanent catheter, fistula, and graft types of vascular access in terms of dialysis adequacy; thus, any of these methods can be applied in its specific indication without being concerned about dialysis inadequacy.