A subscription to JoVE is required to view this content. Sign in or start your free trial.

In This Article

  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Protocol
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • Disclosures
  • Acknowledgements
  • Materials
  • References
  • Reprints and Permissions

Summary

The present protocol proposes the creation of an arteriovenous fistula in rabbits using a modified no-touch technique. The technique involves the side-to-side anastomosis of the common carotid artery and external jugular vein without the dissection of the perivenous tissues or cutting off the artery.

Abstract

Juxta-anastomotic stenosis is a challenging problem that often causes non-maturation and decreases the patency of an arteriovenous fistula (AVF). Injury to the veins and arteries during the operation and hemodynamic changes can lead to intimal hyperplasia, leading to juxta-anastomotic stenosis. To reduce injury to the veins and arteries during the operation, this study proposes a new modified no-touch technique (MNTT) for AVF construction that can decrease the rate of juxta-anastomotic stenosis and improve the AVF patency. To unravel the hemodynamic changes and mechanisms of the MNTT, this study presented an AVF procedure using this technique. Although this procedure is technically challenging, 94.4% procedural success was achieved after adequate training. Ultimately, 13 out of 34 rabbits had a functional AVF 4 weeks after the surgery, leading to a 38.2% AVF patency rate. However, at 4 weeks, the survival rate was 86.1%. Ultrasonography showed active blood flow through AVF anastomosis. Furthermore, the spiral laminar flow was observed in the vein and artery near the anastomosis, suggesting that this technique may improve the hemodynamics of the AVF. On histological observation, significant venous intimal hyperplasia was observed at the AVF anastomosis, whereas no significant intimal hyperplasia was observed at the proximal external jugular vein (EJV) of the anastomosis. This technique will improve the understanding of the mechanisms underlying the use of MNTT for AVF construction and provide technical support for the further optimization of the surgical approach in AVF construction.

Introduction

The construction of an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is widely used in clinical practice for patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (MHD), and it has higher patency and fewer complications than an arteriovenous graft (AVG) or tunneled cuffed catheter (TCC)1,2. Although AVF is the preferred mode of vascular access, it is not perfect and has inherent limitations. The 1 year primary AVF patency rates are only 60%-65%, with many failures occurring in the near anastomotic region3,4,5.

Vessels undergo different degrees of damage during the traditional surgical approach, which ultimately affects the maturation of the AVF. New surgical modalities, such as the no-touch technique (NTT) (Supplementary Figure 1) proposed by Hörer et al.6 and radial artery excursion and reimplantation (RADAR) proposed by Sadaghianloo et al.7,8 and Bai et al.9, were designed to decrease the rate of juxta-anastomotic stenosis and to improve the fistula patency by modifying the surgical technique. Although the effect of RADAR was better than that of NTT, inflow arterial stenosis was observed to be more prominent with RADAR. To further reduce injury to the veins and arteries during the operation, in 2021, a new modified no-touch technique (MNTT) was proposed to create a radio-cephalic AVF by preserving the perivenous tissue around the cephalic vein without cutting the radial artery (Supplementary Figure 1 and Supplementary Figure 2). The preliminary results showed increased primary patency, decreased juxta-anastomotic stenosis, and no arterial stenosis10,11.

Considering the current lack of animal models of AVF using MNTT, and to further explore the mechanism of MNTT in AVF surgery, this study introduces a common carotid artery (CCA)-external jugular vein (EJV) AVF procedure using MNTT.

Protocol

The experimental procedures using laboratory animals were approved by the Experimental Animal Welfare Ethics Committee of Nanjing Medical University. New Zealand rabbits aged 10 months (of both sexes; body weight, 3.18 ± 0.24 kg) were used for this study. The animals were obtained from a commercial source (see Table of Materials).

1. Animal preparation

  1. Anesthetize the rabbits using a mixed intravenous injection of tiletamine hydrochloride and zolazepam hydrochloride (3 mg/kg) into the marginal ear vein and an intramuscular injection of sumianxin II (0.02 mL/kg) (see Table of Materials) into the hindlimb muscle.
    NOTE: After about 1-3 min, the anesthetic effect stabilizes. Before proceeding, the level of anesthesia should be checked by pinching the skin behind the neck and observing the corneal reflex. Tiletamine hydrochloride, zolazepam hydrochloride (0.5 mg/kg), and sumianxin II (0.01 mL/kg) could be added during the operation if needed.
  2. Lay the rabbit on a fixed table (see Table of Materials) in a supine position, and tie the limbs and incisors with binds.
  3. Shave the neck and upper chest using an electric razor, and remove the hair by animal depilatory cream (see Table of Materials).
  4. Maintain sterile conditions during the surgery by autoclaving the surgical equipment and cleaning the surgery area with povidone-iodine solution.

2. Skin incision

  1. Position the rabbit with its head toward the surgeon.
  2. Make a longitudinal incision of ~3 cm between the mandible and the sternoclavicular joint using surgical scissors or a scalpel blade.

3. Preparation of the external jugular vein (EJV)

  1. Expose the incision, and identify the right EJV. Ensure that the EJV and its perivascular tissues are clearly visible and not dissected.
    NOTE: The EJV shows an inverted "Y" pattern, and the branch close to the medial neck needs to be anastomosed.
  2. Make a tunnel that a vascular clamp can be passed through (see Table of Materials) along the direction perpendicular to the EJV. Ensure that the distances between the openings on both sides of the tunnel and the EJV are >1 cm.
  3. Place a vascular clamp along the tunnel.
  4. Make another tunnel (same as in step 3.2) at the distal EJV using the same method.
    NOTE: Ensure the distance between the two tunnels is ≥2 cm.
  5. Apply a 4-0 suture (see Table of Materials) and a vascular clamp along the tunnel to control the blood flow (Figure 1A).

4. Dissecting and preparing the common carotid artery (CCA)

  1. Use forceps (see Table of Materials) to explore the CCA lateral to the trachea and medial to the sternocleidomastoid muscle.
    NOTE: The CCA has a pulsatile sensation and runs parallel to the cervical nerve.
  2. Bluntly dissect the CCA to a length of about 2 cm.
    NOTE: Avoid injury to the vagus nerve and its branches with a deep arterial course.
  3. Place a 4-0 suture thread around the CCA to control the blood flow when needed.
  4. Apply vascular clamps (see Table of Materials) as distally and proximally as possible (Figure 1B).

5. Preparing the anastomosis

  1. For phlebotomy and anastomosis, use microscissors (see Table of Materials) to dissect the internal part of the EJV (4 mm long) free from the surrounding tissues.
  2. Make a 4 mm long longitudinal incision with microscissors in the middle of the vein. Rinse the vein with heparin solution (100 IU/mL) to prevent thrombosis.
  3. Make a longitudinal incision measuring approximately 4 mm in the anterior wall of the artery using a sharp blade and microscissors. Rinse the artery with 100 IU/mL heparin solution until the vessel is clear of blood.

6. Side-to-side anastomosis

  1. Pull the EJV and CCA closely together, as close as possible.
  2. Apply Kunlin's technique12 for the side-to-side anastomosis of the CCA and EJV using 8-0 nonabsorbable sutures (see Table of Materials). Suture the posterior wall of the vessel first (Figure 1C), followed by the anterior wall of the vessel.
    NOTE: Since the EJV wall in a rabbit is thin, care should be taken during the surgery to prevent damage to the vessels that could later compromise the patency of the anastomosis. During the process of vascular anastomosis, heparin solution (100 IU/mL) must be used repeatedly to rinse the lumen to prevent thrombosis.

7. Vascular clamp removal and ligation of the vein

  1. Remove the distal vascular clamp of the CCA, the proximal vascular clamp of the EJV, and the proximal vascular clamp of the CCA in turn. Observe active blood flow through the anastomosis.
  2. Ligate the distal end of the EJV using the 4-0 suture that was placed earlier. Remove the distal vascular clamp of the EJV.
  3. Remove the suture thread that was placed around the CCA (Figure 1D).

8. Skin closure and postoperative care

  1. After ensuring no significant bleeding in the surgical field, close the skin of the neck using interrupted sutures (4-0).
  2. Place the rabbit in a cage until it completely recovers. Typically, this takes 30-45 min.
    NOTE: In case of incomplete or delayed recovery, care should be taken to ensure that the rabbit does not experience hemodynamic shock due to bleeding in the surgical area. If required, administer Sumianxin II (0.01 mL/kg) post-surgery.

Results

The outcome of the successful application of this technique is a patent AVF in the rabbit neck. This study used the following criteria to evaluate the success: (1) when the vascular anastomosis is completed, the venous tremor of the AVF can be touched, and the vascular murmur can be heard; (2) 4 weeks after the AVF is established, the active blood flow through the internal fistula anastomosis can be measured by color Doppler ultrasound; (3) 4 weeks after the AVF is established, hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining shows ...

Discussion

Currently, several animal models are available for AVF. Among them, pigs, sheep, and dogs are mostly used as large animal models13,14,15. The small animal models used include rabbits, rats, and mice16,17,18. New Zealand rabbits were used in this study. New Zealand rabbits have abundant perivenous tissues around the EJV, which makes them...

Disclosures

The authors have no potential conflicts of interest related to the drugs and materials used in this procedure.

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by grants from the Suzhou Science and Technology Plan Project (SYS2020077), Suzhou High-tech Zone Medical and Health Science and Technology Plan Project (2020z001), Suzhou Science and Technology Development Plan Project-Medical and Health Science and Technology Innovation (SYK2021030), Nanjing Medical University Science and Technology Development Fund-General Project (NMUB20210253), Suzhou Science and Technology Bureau of the application of the basic research project (No.SYSD2019205, No.SYS2020119), Jiangsu Province Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Development Plan Project (No.MS2021098), the Ministry of Education Industry-University Cooperation Collaborative Education Project (No. 202102242003), the Sixth "333 High-level Talent Cultivation" Project in Jiangsu Province, Suzhou Science and Technology City Hospital 2022 Hospital-level Pre-research Fund Project (SZKJCYY2022014), and Suzhou "KeJiaoXingWei" Youth Science and Technology Project (KJXW2022086).

Materials

NameCompanyCatalog NumberComments
Animal DepilatoryFuzhou Feijing Biotechnology Co., Ltd.PH1877
Curved hemostatic forcepsXinhua Surgical Instrument Co., Ltd.ZH131R/RN
Dissecting forcepsXinhua Surgical Instrument Co., Ltd.ZDO25R/RN
electrical razorShenbao Technology Co., LtdPGC-660
Fixed TableZhenhua Biomedical Instrument Co., LtdZH-DSB019
Halsey needleholderXinhua Surgical Instrument Co., Ltd.ZM208R/RN
Heparin Dodium InjectionJiangsu Wanbang Biochemical Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd.H32020612
Medical gauze dressingNanchang Kangjie medical hygiene products Co., Ltd20172640135
Micro forceopsXinhua Surgical Instrument Co., Ltd.ZD275RN/T
Micro needle holder forcepsXinhua Surgical Instrument Co., Ltd.ZF2618RB/T
Micro scissorsXinhua Surgical Instrument Co., Ltd.ZF022T
Non-silk sutures 4-0Kollsut Medical Instrument Co., Ltd.NMB020RRCN26C075-1
Non-absorbable sutures 8-0 (double needle)Yangzhou Yuankang Medical Instrument Co., Ltd.10299023602
Povidone iodine solutionShanghai Likang Disinfection High-tech Co., Ltd.310512
Rinse needleJiangsu Tonghui Medical Instrument Co., Ltd20180039
scalpel handleShanghai Medical Instrument (Group) Co., Ltd. Surgical Instruments FactoryJ11030
Sharp bladeSuzhou Medical Products Factory Co., Ltd.TY21232001
Sodium Chloride Injection  (100 mL)Guangdong Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.B21K0904
Sugical ScissorsXinhua Surgical Instrument Co., Ltd.ZC120R/RN
Sumianxin IIJilin Dunhua Shengda Animal Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.20180801
Syringe with needle(5 mL)BD medical devices (Shanghai) Co., Ltd2006116
Tiletamine Hydrochloride and Zolazepam Hydrochloride for InjectionVirbac Pet Health, France83888204
Triangle needleHangzhou Huawei medical supplies Co., Ltd7X17
Vascular clampXinhua Surgical Instrument Co., Ltd.ZF220RN
New Zealand rabbitsSuzhou Huqiao Biological Co., Ltd.SCXK2020-0001

References

  1. Lok, C. E., et al. KDOQI Clinical Practice Guideline for Vascular Access: 2019 update. American Journal of Kidney Diseases. 75, 1 (2020).
  2. Schmidli, J., et al. Editor's choice - Vascular access: 2018 Clinical Practice Guidelines of the European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS). European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. 55 (6), 757-818 (2018).
  3. Grogan, J., et al. Frequency of critical stenosis in primary arteriovenous fistulae before hemodialysis access: Should duplex ultrasound surveillance be the standard of care. Journal of Vascular Surgery. 41 (6), 1000-1006 (2005).
  4. Swinnen, J., Lean, T. K., Allen, R., Burgess, D., Mohan, I. V. Juxta-anastomotic stenting with aggressive angioplasty will salvage the native radiocephalic fistula for dialysis. Journal of Vascular Surgery. 61 (2), 436-442 (2015).
  5. Bharat, A., Jaenicke, M., Shenoy, S. A novel technique of vascular anastomosis to prevent juxta-anastomotic stenosis following arteriovenous fistula creation. Journal of Vascular Surgery. 55 (1), 274-280 (2012).
  6. Hörer, T. M., et al. No-touch technique for radiocephalic arteriovenous fistula--Surgical technique and preliminary results. The Journal of Vascular Access. 17 (1), 6-12 (2016).
  7. Sadaghianloo, N., et al. Salvage of early-failing radiocephalic fistulae with techniques that minimize venous dissection. Annals of Vascular Surgery. 29 (7), 1475-1479 (2015).
  8. Sadaghianloo, N., et al. Radial artery deviation and reimplantation inhibits venous juxta-anastomotic stenosis and increases primary patency of radial-cephalic fistulas for hemodialysis. Journal of Vascular Surgery. 64 (3), 698-706 (2016).
  9. Bai, H., et al. Artery to vein configuration of arteriovenous fistula improves hemodynamics to increase maturation and patency. Science Translational Medicine. 12 (557), (2020).
  10. Zhang, Y. Y., Wang, X. H., Liu, Z., Hou, G. C. Creating radio-cephalic arteriovenous fistula in the forearm with a modified no-touch technique. Journal of Visualized Experiments. (182), e62784 (2022).
  11. Hou, G. C., et al. Modified no-touch technique for radio-cephalic arteriovenous fistula increases primary patency and decreases juxta-anastomotic stenosis. The Journal of Vascular Access. , (2022).
  12. Kunlin, J. Long vein transplantation in treatment of ischemia caused by arteritis. Revue de Chirurgie. 70 (7-8), 206-235 (1951).
  13. Wang, Y., et al. Venous stenosis in a pig arteriovenous fistula model--Anatomy, mechanisms and cellular phenotypes. Nephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation. 23 (2), 525-533 (2008).
  14. Marius, C. F., et al. Sheep model of hemodialysis arteriovenous fistula using superficial veins. Seminars in Dialysis. 28 (6), 687-691 (2015).
  15. Ramacciotti, E., et al. Fistula size and hemodynamics: An experimental model in canine femoral arteriovenous fistulas. The Journal of Vascular Access. 8 (1), 33-43 (2008).
  16. Eiketsu, S., et al. Arterial enlargement, tortuosity, and intimal thickening in response to sequential exposure to high and low wall shear stress. Journal of Vascular Surgery. 39 (3), 601-612 (2004).
  17. Eddie, M., et al. A new arteriovenous fistula model to study the development of neointimal hyperplasia. Journal of Vascular Research. 49 (2), 123-131 (2012).
  18. Karl, A. N., et al. The murine dialysis fistula model exhibits a senescence phenotype: pathobiological mechanisms and therapeutic potential. American Journal of Physiology. Renal Physiology. 315 (5), 1493-1499 (2018).
  19. Hong, S. Y., et al. Clinical analysis of radiocephalic fistula using side-to-side anastomosis with distal cephalic vein ligation. The Korean Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. 46 (6), 439-443 (2013).
  20. Tang, W. G., et al. A meta-analysis of traditional and functional end-to-side anastomosis in radiocephalic fistula for dialysis access. International Urology and Nephrology. 53 (7), 1373-1382 (2021).
  21. Marie, Y., et al. Patterns of blood flow as a predictor of maturation of arteriovenous fistula for haemodialysis. The Journal of Vascular Access. 15 (3), 169-174 (2014).
  22. Srivastava, A., et al. Spiral laminar flow, the earliest predictor for maturation of arteriovenous fistula for hemodialysis access. Indian Journal of Urology. 31 (3), 240-244 (2015).
  23. Loveland-Jones, C. E., et al. A new model of arteriovenous fistula to study hemodialysis access complications. The Journal of Vascular Access. 15 (5), 351-357 (2014).
  24. Wong, C. Y., et al. Vascular remodeling and intimal hyperplasia in a novel murine model of arteriovenous fistula failure. Journal of Vascular Surgery. 59 (1), 192-201 (2014).

Reprints and Permissions

Request permission to reuse the text or figures of this JoVE article

Request Permission

Explore More Articles

Arteriovenous FistulaModified No touch TechniqueAVF ConstructionExternal Jugular VeinAnimal ModelVascular ClampsCommon Carotid ArterySide by side AnastomosisPhlebotomyThrombosis PreventionRabbit Survival RateSurgical Procedure

This article has been published

Video Coming Soon

JoVE Logo

Privacy

Terms of Use

Policies

Research

Education

ABOUT JoVE

Copyright © 2025 MyJoVE Corporation. All rights reserved