Background: Advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease causes a significant reduction in functional capacity because of dyspnea and fatigue, partially related to hypoxemia and compromised oxygen delivery. Percutaneous creation of an arteriovenous shunt may increase oxygen delivery and, hence, improve patients' functional capacity.
Methods and results: This is a prospective, single-center, proof-of-concept pilot study. Patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease underwent percutaneous arteriovenous shunt creation. End points were the change in 6-minute walking distance; quality of life, measured by St George's Respiratory Questionnaire; and physiological parameters at 12-week follow-up. Fifteen patients underwent percutaneous arteriovenous shunt creation. Cardiac output and oxygen delivery increased significantly from 4.1 L/min at baseline to 5.9 L/min at 12 weeks (P<0.01) and from 751 mL/min at baseline to 972 mL/min at 12 weeks (P<0.01), respectively; however, there was a trend toward a significant decrease in the 6-minute walking distance between baseline (338 m) and 12-week follow-up (294 m) (P=0.07). There was no significant difference in the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire score, oxygen saturation, or lung function tests. Lower extremity edema, venous stenosis, right heart failure, and deep venous thrombosis occurred in 10, 7, 4, and 4 patients, respectively.
Conclusions: Though it causes a significant increase in cardiac output and oxygen delivery , the creation of an arteriovenous shunt in the setting of severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease did not improve functional capacity or quality of life. A significant number of adverse events occurred. This concept cannot be recommended for routine clinical use in unselected patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.