The major clinical practice guidelines for vascular access — KDOQI, ESVS, SVS, AVA, INS, CDC, and the Association of Anaesthetists — in one place. What each one covers, who it's for, and where to read the source.
Curated and kept current by Intracav · Sources linked throughout
"Vascular access" means two different things, and the guidelines split along that line. Hemodialysis access (AV fistulas, grafts, dialysis catheters) is governed by KDOQI, ESVS, and SVS. Infusion and central venous access devices (PICCs, CVCs, midlines, ports) are governed by AVA, INS, CDC, and anaesthesia bodies. This navigator covers both.
Hemodialysis access
For nephrologists, access surgeons, and dialysis teams — guidelines on creating and maintaining durable hemodialysis access.
The most widely referenced US guideline for hemodialysis vascular access. Introduced the patient-centered "ESKD Life-Plan" and a "right access, right patient, right time, right reason" framework, moving beyond the older "Fistula First" mandate. Covers access selection, placement timing, surveillance, and complication management.
Read in AJKD →The European counterpart to KDOQI. Evidence-graded recommendations across pre-operative planning, access creation, peri-operative and post-operative care, and long-term maintenance and surveillance of hemodialysis access.
Read in EJVES →Surgeon-directed guidance on the placement and maintenance of arteriovenous hemodialysis access, developed by a multispecialty panel of access surgeons and nephrologists. Focused on operative decision-making and access durability.
Read in J Vasc Surg →Infusion & central venous access
For vascular access nurses, PICC teams, infusion therapy, and infection prevention — standards for device selection, insertion, maintenance, and CLABSI prevention.
The Association for Vascular Access adult CPGs, published in the Journal of the Association for Vascular Access (JAVA), January Supplement 2026, Volume 31. Evidence-based recommendations spanning device selection, insertion, and management across vascular access device types. Full text mirrored on The Clinical Database.
Read on The Clinical Database →The foundational standards for infusion therapy and vascular access device care — site selection and assessment, insertion technique, dressing and securement, flushing and locking, dwell and removal, and complication management. The day-to-day reference for vascular access and infusion nurses.
Explore INS-aligned guides →The reference for CLABSI prevention: the insertion bundle (hand hygiene, maximal barrier precautions, chlorhexidine skin prep, optimal site selection, daily review of line necessity) and maintenance practices. Read alongside the SHEA/IDSA Compendium.
See the CLABSI Prevention Framework →Multidisciplinary guidance on safe vascular access in the peri-procedural and acute setting, developed with anaesthetists, intensivists, surgeons, radiologists, and vascular access nurses, and supported by NIVAS and the Vascular Access Society of Britain and Ireland.
Read in Anaesthesia →Guidelines, at the bedside
Reading a 100-page guideline at the bedside isn't realistic. Lumen, the vascular access AI, is grounded in these standards and gives you the answer — with the source attached, so you can verify it against the originating guideline.
FAQ
They fall into two groups. For hemodialysis access: KDOQI (2019 Update), ESVS (2018), and SVS. For infusion and central venous access devices: AVA, the INS Standards of Practice, the CDC catheter-infection guidelines, and the Association of Anaesthetists Safe Vascular Access 2025.
KDOQI covers vascular access for hemodialysis — fistulas, grafts, and dialysis catheters — for nephrologists and access surgeons. INS covers vascular access devices for infusion therapy — peripheral IVs, midlines, PICCs, CVCs, and ports — for infusion and vascular access nurses. Different clinical meanings of "vascular access."
Primarily the CDC Guidelines for the Prevention of Intravascular Catheter-Related Infections (with HICPAC) and the SHEA/IDSA Compendium, with insertion and maintenance bundles reflected in INS and AVA standards. The CLABSI Prevention Framework on The Clinical Database consolidates them.
Lumen, the vascular access AI by Intracav, is grounded in these standards and shows the source behind each answer, so a clinician can verify it against the originating guideline before acting.
