Comparison of Tunneled Cuffed Dialysis Catheters Versus Arteriovenous Fistulae in Elderly or Multimorbid Patients

June 11, 2026 updated by: Guerkan SENGOELGE, Medical University of Vienna
Patients are randomly assigned to a study group. Depending on the study group, either an arteriovenous fistula or tunneled cuffed catheter (TCC) will be implanted, followed by continuous evaluation of the patients during the first year after initiating the vascular access. The evaluation includes statistical evaluation of all events, including loss of access, thrombosis, infection, loss of patency, increase in co-morbidities, e.g. congestive heart failure as well as quality of life. The implantation of the TCC is a standard procedure and it will be used only in accordance with the approved instructions of use on subjects who have signed an informed consent form. The surgery is a standard operation and it will be performed by specialized surgeons on subjects who have signed an informed consent form (No grafts will be used; implantation of a standard TCC, used at the Department of Nephrology). Both, an arteriovenous fistula or a TCC, will be used for routine chronic haemodialysis

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Patients with diagnosed end stage kidney disease and indication for chronic dialysis rely on a well-functioning access for dialysis. For long term haemodialysis there are three possibilities: arteriovenous fistulae, arteriovenous grafts and tunneled cuffed catheters. For the last decades, the preferred form of vascular access for every eligible patient was based on the "Fistula First Breakthrough Initiative", nowadays NVAII (National Vascular Access Improvement Initiative), implemented by the US-American CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services). Although the "fistula first" dogma evolved to the more patient-centered recommendation "right access, for the right patient, at the right time for the right reasons" of the latest KDOQI guidelines from 2019, fistula still is seen as the "better" access compared with tunneled catheters whenever possible. The generally low quality of catheter care in previous retrospective publications make meaningful comparisons between fistula and catheter populations difficult. There are no prospective studies on this subject so far. In this study, we address differences between two dialysis vascular access types in elderly (Age 60 and older) and/or multimorbid patients (Charlson Comorbidity Index score of >6)

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
220

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Aged ≥60 years or <60 years with a CCI Score >6
  • Patients with CKD G5 A1-3 with indication for hemodialysis
  • Stable clinical condition
  • Eligibility for both arteriovenous fistula on the upper extremities and TCC
  • Availability for follow-up
  • Written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Uncontrolled infection and/or CRP >5 mg/dl (normal <0.5 mg/dl) at screening
  • Poor overall health or malignancy not in remission at screening
  • Major surgery within 12 weeks before screening
  • Pre-existent vascular access
  • Patient not eligible for any one of the vascular access options
  • Endovascular arteriovenous fistula

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: Arteriovenous fistula creation for chronic haemodialysis treatment
Procedure: Arteriovenous fistula creation for chronic haemodialysis treatment
In this arm arteriovenous fistulas will be created for chronic haemodialysis treatment.
Experimental: Tunneled cuffed catheter insertion for chronic haemodialysis treatment
Device: Tunneled cuffed catheter (TCC) will be implanted for chronic haemodialysis treatment
In this study we will compare TCCs with arteriovenous fistulas. In our hypothesis, TCCs will be superior to arteriovenous fistulas , because incidence of the main disadvantages of TCC, infection and low flow rates, have been reduced significantly since implantation techniques and product quality of TCC, hygiene protocols and lock solutions for TCC have steadily been improved over the last decade.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
The composite primary end-point is any access related complication (loss of access, infection and/or thrombosis)
Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 52 weeks
From enrollment to the end of treatment at 52 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Medical University of Vienna

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
August 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 31, 2029

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 31, 2030

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
June 11, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 11, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 16, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 16, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 11, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 1656/2016

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

Yes

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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