THE PERIODICITY OF VASCULAR ACCESS THROMBOSIS

A periodicity has been observed in thrombotic events that occur in a v ariety of vascular beds. There also has been a recent suggestion that there is an increased failure of hemodialysis vascular accesses due to thrombosis during the summer months. We reviewed the last 949 episode s of vascular access thrombosis and found no seasonal pattern, but a w eekly pattern was noted that corresponded to the patients' dialysis sc hedule. That pattern was apparently due to our technique of observatio n and not due to any intrinsic periodicity in the thrombosis itself, W e find no evidence to support the belief in any intrinsic periodicity in hemodialysis vascular access thrombosis and since the thrombotic ev ent itself is usually asymptomatic, any accurate assessment of a diurn al or circumseptan pattern is not possible under ordinary clinical con ditions.