Hemodialysis is a life-saving treatment for kidney disease. At any one time more than 400,000 patients are receiving dialysis in the United States, and an average of 125,000 new patients need hemodialysis each year.
A serious problem facing patients with kidney disease is access for blood to be withdrawn, dialyzed, and returned. This treatment needs to be administered three times a week, and current methods to access blood for dialysis leave patients prone to failure of the access, infection, and pain in the hand due to a condition known as ischemia.
The InterGraft System is designed to provide a better solution for patients who require hemodialysis. It is currently being used in human clinical trials under supervision of the United States Food and Drug Administration. The procedure is a minimally-invasive surgery that takes about 30 minutes. Learn more about the procedure by watching the narrated animation below.