Vascular access conversion and patient outcome after hemodialysis initiation with a nonfunctional arteriovenous access: a prospective registry-based study

Table 3 Sensitivity analyses

Sensitivity analyses :	Setting changes at the end of the interval	Limiting population to those with at least one annual update
Vascular access group	HR (95% CI)
Functional AV access
unchanged	1	1
converted to catheter	1.62 (1.48–1.78)	1.60 (1.44–1.77)
Nonfunctional AV access
converted to functional AV access	1.05 (0.97–1.13)	0.98 (0.91–1.06)
unchanged	1.25 (1.15–1.35)	1.55 (1.41–1.69)
Catheter only
converted to functional AV access	1.02 (0.96–1.08)	0.90 (0.84–0.95)
unchanged	1.53 (1.45–1.61)	1.94 (1.83–2.06)

Patients with a follow-up shorter than 3 months were excluded. The model was adjusted for all variables in Table 1 as well as region, year of hemodialysis initiation, and vascular access changes as time dependent variable. Abbreviations: AV arteriovenous, HR hazard ratio, CI confidence interval
Adjusted mortality hazard ratios associated with initial vascular access taking subsequent changes into account

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