Spectral coupling of arteriovenous fistula sound and flow-induced wall vibrations

A native arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the preferred vascular access for connecting a patient’s circulation to a haemodialysis machine, but it can fail due to adverse vascular remodelling. AVFs produce characteristic sounds, likely generated by flow-induced high-frequency vessel wall vibrations. The aim of this study was to provide evidence of the relationship between AVF sounds and computed flow-induced wall vibrations, through a multi-domain characterisation of AVFs that integrated acoustic analyses and fluid structure interaction (FSI) simulations. Spectrograms of recorded AVF sounds from four patients showed frequency content comparable to FSI-derived vascular wall vibrations. This spectral coupling suggests that sound analysis could serve as a simple, non-invasive tool for early detection of AVF dysfunction.