St. Joseph's University Medical Center

HAV vs AVF

for Kidney Failure

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the number of catheter-free days (CFD) and the rate and severity of any dialysis access-related infections between the HAV and AVF groups over 12 months in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) needing hemodialysis (HD). Participants will be stratified by location of the vascular access (forearm versus upper arm) and by type of AVF creation procedure planned by the surgeon at randomization (1-stage AVF versus 2-stage AVF). The comparator is an upper extremity arterio-venous fistula (AVF) for HD access surgically created per the institution's Standard of Care (SoC).