New Device for Assisting Accurate Hemodialysis Catheter Placement

Orange County, CA - August 17th, 2018 -  Hemodialysis, also known as kidney dialysis or simply dialysis, is a process of purifying a patient’s blood whose kidneys are not working normally. During hemodialysis, blood is extracted from the body, purified from waste substances such as creatinine and urea, and re-introduced into the blood circulation system.

Physicians need to have access to the blood vessels for a blood extraction and re-introduction. Vascular access is typically performed by an arteriovenous fistula (AVF), an arteriovenous graft (AVG) or a tunneled cuffed catheter (TCC). AVF and AVG both involve surgically created passageways between an artery and a vein, which is generally preferred because of better prevention of infection.

However, some patients are not able to undergo AVF or AVG, because of heart failure or low cardiac reserve (the difference between the heart's pumping rate and its maximum pumping capacity). TCC would be the appropriate solution for these patients. It is crucial that the placement of a TTC is accurate for it to successfully function; the procedure is often difficult because of differences in body shapes. Positioning the device incorrectly can lead to blood clots and induce cerebral vein thrombosis (a blood clot in the dural venous sinuses, which drains blood from the brain).

Clinical researchers at the Okayama University in Japan have developed a device that allows an accurate TCC placement to avoid repeat procedures. The device is expected to decrease the rate of TCC replacements ranging between 8.9% and 56%.  It can be described as a “bendable ribbon” made from a material called “expanded polytetrafluoroethylene” (ePTFE), with holes that are spaced 1 cm apart. Because the holes are regularly spaced, the error can be no more than one centimeter. The holes allow physicians to make markings on the patient’s body to indicate where the entry and exit catheters need to be inserted.