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Raymond J. Tesi, MD; Richard O'Donovan, MD
Tulane University Hospital and Clinic New Orleans, La

JAMA. 1997;277(6):455-456.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.

—The article on vascular access by Hirth et al¹ and the Editorial by Chertow² suggest that surgeons and nephrologists are not serving the best interests of their patients by the excessive use of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) grafts in creating vascular access for chronic hemodialysis. We agree that physicians exert a critical influence on the choice of an AVF over a PTFE graft. Hirth et al¹ calculate that 25% of surgeons accounted for 95% of all AVFs. Unfortunately, the critical statistic needed to support their . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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