How many types of fistulas are there to create?
Broadly speaking, AV Fistulas are divided into two types based on their structure. One is called an RC fistula, or radio-cephalic AV fistula. If the same fistula is created at the elbow, it is called a BC fistula, or brachiocephalic AV fistula. Remember, AC and BC fistulas are created in a single stage. The second group is BB fistulas, or Brachio-basilic fistulas, which are created in two stages.
Dr. K. K. Pandey is a Senior Consultant in Cardiothoracic, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, with nearly 30 years of surgical experience. He has previously worked at Batra Hospital, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi and the Bakulev Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery in Moscow. Dr. Pandey specializes in thoracic, lung and chest tumour surgery, varicose veins, vascular bypass procedures and diabetic foot management, using both open and minimally invasive techniques. A surgeon, writer and health educator, he regularly writes columns and books to make complex medical topics easy for the general public, believing that medical knowledge must reach every common person.