Fish Oil Taken After AV Graft Creation Beneficial

Fish oil supplementation is associated with cardiovascular benefits in patients with stage 5 chronic kidney disease following creation of a synthetic arteriovenous graft for hemodialysis access, according to study findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (2012;307:1809-1816).

In the study, 99 patients took four 1 gram capsules of fish oil and 97 took placebo on the seventh day following graft creation. After 12 months, compared with the placebo group, the fish-oil group experienced a lower rate of graft failure (3.43 vs. 5.95 per 1,000 access-days), half as many thromboses (1.71 vs. 3.41 per 1,000 access-days), fewer corrective interventions (2.89 vs. 4.92 per 1,000 access-days), improved cardiovascular-event-free survival, and lower mean systolic blood pressure. Loss of native patency did not differ significantly between the groups, however.

From the June 01, 2012 Issue of Renal and Urology News