Supplementary Material for: Aerobic Exercise Increases Vascular Diameter of Arteriovenous Fistula in Hemodialysis Patients

Introduction: A healthy arteriovenous fistula (AVF) depends on adequate vessel diameter which can be maintained through aerobic exercises. A randomized crossover study was conducted to evaluate the acute effects of aerobic exercise on a cycle ergometer on AVF vascular diameter, through ultrasound, and on blood pressure (BP). Methods: Eight hemodialysis (HD) patients completed 2 different occasions in random order with a 7-day washout: (a) exercising moment, in which 30-min aerobic exercise was performed on a cycle ergometer; and (b) resting moment, which was performed 30-min with the patient sitting in a chair. Both occasions were evaluated 1-h before the second weekly HD day. Results: A significant increase in AVF vascular diameter induced by 30-min aerobic exercise was found (1.15 ± 0.56 to 1.47 ± 0.66 cm; p = 0.042), whereas systolic (p = 0.105) and diastolic BP (p = 0.366) did not change. Conclusions: We can conclude that acute aerobic exercise was shown to be effective in improving the AVF vascular diameter in HD patients. The aerobic exercise benefits in endothelium-dependent vasodilation which may be an effective, practical, and economic strategy to maintain AVF patency.

引言：健康的动静脉瘘（arteriovenous fistula, AVF）有赖于足够的血管管径，而该管径可通过有氧运动得以维持。本研究采用随机交叉设计，旨在评估功率自行车有氧运动对动静脉瘘血管管径的急性影响（通过超声检测）以及对血压（blood pressure, BP）的影响。
方法：8名血液透析（hemodialysis, HD）患者按随机顺序完成2次不同的试验周期，两次周期之间设置7天的洗脱期：(a) 运动组：患者在功率自行车上进行30分钟有氧运动；(b) 静息组：患者静坐30分钟。两次试验均在每周第二次血液透析日前1小时开展评估。
结果：30分钟有氧运动可显著提升动静脉瘘的血管管径（从1.15±0.56 cm增至1.47±0.66 cm；p=0.042），而收缩压（p=0.105）与舒张压（p=0.366）无显著变化。
结论：本研究证实，急性有氧运动可有效改善血液透析患者的动静脉瘘血管管径。有氧运动可通过改善内皮依赖性血管舒张功能，成为维持动静脉瘘通畅性的有效、实用且经济的干预策略。