-
Original Article
-
Korean J Intern Med. 2026;41(5):927-939. Published online September 1, 2026.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3904/kjim.2025.343
- Mortality risk associated with permanent central venous catheter use in the oldest-old population: a nationwide cohort study
-
Joo Un Park1, Chang Min Park2, Do Hyoung Kim3, Hyangkyoung Kim4, Byung Ha Chung1, Hyung Seok Lee5, Sang Jun Park6, Min-ho Kim7
, Hoon Suk Park1
-
1Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea
2Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Uijeongbu St. Mary’s Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea
3Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
4Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Ewha Womans University Medical Center, Ewha Womans University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
5Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang, Korea
6Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Ulsan University Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan, Korea
7Ewha Medical Data Organization, Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital, Seoul, Korea
- Corresponding author: Min-ho Kim ,Tel: +82-2-6986-1869, Fax: +82-2-6986-5802, Email: mino-kim@naver.com
Hoon Suk Park ,Tel: +82-2-1588-1511, Fax: +82-2-594-7230, Email: cttailor@catholic.ac.kr
- Received: October 2, 2025; Revised: April 9, 2026 Accepted: May 11, 2026.
- Abstract
- Background/Aims
Owing to aging-related factors, arteriovenous access (AV) is difficult to establish in older patients; central venous catheter (CVC) access is used instead. However, evidence on long-term outcomes of permanent vascular access types in the oldest-old adults (≥ 80 yr) is lacking. We aimed to compare mortality by vascular access type in older Korean patients undergoing hemodialysis.
Methods
This nationwide retrospective cohort study included 79,286 adult patients who initiated maintenance hemodialysis between 2012 and 2021, identified from the Korean National Health Insurance Service database. Patients were categorized by permanent vascular access type (AV fistula [AVF], AV graft [AVG], or CVC). Kaplan–Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess mortality across vascular access types. Analyses were stratified by age group.
Results
CVC access was associated with the highest mortality. Compared with AVF use, CVC use was associated with more than a threefold increase in mortality risk (aHR 3.54; 95% CI, 3.43–3.65). Though attenuated, the CVC use-associated mortality risk remained significantly elevated in octogenarians and nonagenarians (aHR 3.30; 95% CI, 3.14–3.47 and aHR 3.18; 95% CI, 2.65–3.82, respectively). Compared with AVG use, CVC use remained consistently associated with elevated mortality risk across age groups.
Conclusions
CVC use as permanent access was associated with increased mortality, even among the oldest-old. Advanced age should be regarded as a clinical consideration rather than a definitive contraindication to AV access. Our findings support the need for individualized clinical decision-making, even in the oldest-old population.
Keywords :Arteriovenous shunt, surgical; Central venous catheters; Aged; Renal dialysis; Mortality
