A nurse is caring for a client who has a new arteriovenous (AV) graft in his left forearm. Which of the following techniques should the nurse use to assess the patency of this graft?

A. Auscultate the antecubital fossa using a Doppler stethoscope: The antecubital fossa is not the location of the AV graft. Doppler may help detect blood flow, but the graft site itself should be directly auscultated to assess for patency. B. Auscultate the site for a bruit: A bruit is a swishing sound heard with a stethoscope and indicates turbulent blood flow, confirming the graft is patent. Presence of both a bruit and a palpable thrill is a key sign of graft function. C. Check the brachial and radial pulses of the left arm simultaneously: While pulse checks assess general circulation, they do not specifically evaluate the flow through the AV graft itself, which is necessary for dialysis adequacy. D. Measure the client's blood pressure to ensure it is higher in the left arm than the right: Blood pressure differences between arms are not a reliable or appropriate method to assess AV graft patency. Blood pressure should also never be measured on the graft arm.