Introduction:

Despite the efforts of the “fistula first” initiative, the reality is that a significant percentage of hemodialysis patients continue to receive dialysis through a catheter, and this is especially relevant in elderly patients.

Objectives:

To understand and synthesize the existing scientific evidence regarding vascular access outcomes in elderly hemodialysis patients.

Methodology:

A systematic review was conducted using the PubMed, Scopus, and WOS databases. The following terms were used as descriptors: “Hemodialysis”, “Vascular Access”, and “Mortality”, combined using the Boolean operator AND. Articles published between 2017 and 2023 in English and Spanish were included.

Results:

Fifteen articles were included: one review and various observational studies. Upon analysis, an increase in the use of catheters in elderly patients was observed, which was associated with high infection rates and worse survival outcomes. Catheter use was linked to higher comorbidity and older age.

Conclusion:

Arteriovenous fistula remains the preferred vascular access in all hemodialysis patients; however, the use of catheters has significantly increased in elderly patients, possibly due to lower life expectancy and associated comorbidities in this population. This increase in catheter utilization has been associated with a significant rise in mortality. Nevertheless, in older patients, it is not clear whether the increased mortality is attributable to the catheter itself or the baseline characteristics of the patient.