Buttonhole versus rope-ladder cannulation of arteriovenous fistulas for hemodialysis: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND The buttonhole technique is an alternative method of cannulating the arteriovenous fistula (AVF) in hemodialysis (HD), frequently used for home HD patients. However, the balance of risks and benefits of the buttonhole compared with the rope-ladder technique is uncertain. STUDY DESIGN A systematic review of randomized trials and observational studies (case reports, case series, studies without a control group, non-English studies, and abstracts were excluded). SETTING & POPULATION HD patients (both in-center conventional HD and home HD) using an AVF for vascular access. SELECTION CRITERIA FOR STUDIES We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, EBM Reviews, and CINAHL from the earliest date in the databases to March 2014 for studies comparing clinical outcomes of the buttonhole versus rope-ladder technique. INTERVENTION Buttonhole versus rope-ladder cannulation technique. OUTCOMES The primary outcomes of interest were patient-reported cannulation pain and rates of AVF-related local and systemic infections. Secondary outcomes included access survival, intervention, hospitalization, and mortality, as well as hematoma and aneurysm formation, time to hemostasis, and all-cause hospitalization and mortality. RESULTS Of 1,044 identified citations, 23 studies were selected for inclusion. There was equivocal evidence with respect to cannulation pain: pooled observational studies yielded a statistical reduction in pain with buttonhole cannulation (standardized mean difference, -0.76 [95%CI, -1.38 to -0.15] standard deviations), but no difference in cannulation pain was found among randomized controlled trials (standardized mean difference, 0.34 [95%CI, -0.76 to 1.43] standard deviations). Buttonhole, as compared to rope-ladder, technique appeared to be associated with increased risk of local and systemic infections. LIMITATIONS Overall poor quality and substantial heterogeneity among studies precluded pooling of most outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Evidence does not support the preferential use of buttonhole over rope-ladder cannulation in either facility-based conventional HD or home HD. This does not preclude buttonhole cannulation as being appropriate for some patients with difficult-to-access AVFs.