Vascular Access News

Pursuing newly FDA-approved vascular access technology for patients on dialysis, Becton, Dickenson and Company has agreed to buy TVA Medical in an all-cash transaction. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.

Arteriovenous fistula is considered the optimal access for patients on dialysis; however, a new study indicated that frequent and costly interventions are often required to make them useable among hemodialysis patients.

The FDA has granted marketing authorization for the use of the Ellipsys Vascular Access System and the everlinQ endoAVF System to make percutaneous arteriovenous fistulas for patients with CKD who are on hemodialysis.

Use of ClearGuard HD antimicrobial barrier caps, manufactured by Pursuit Vascular Inc., was associated with a significantly lower the rate of catheter-related bloodstream infections among patients on hemodialysis using central venous catheters when compared with Tego connectors plus Curos caps, according to a study in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

Fresenius Medical Care is spending $150 million to obtain global distribution rights for Humacyl, an investigational vascular access device in clinical trials in the United States.

According to a study with a median follow-up of 2.9 years that was published in BMJ Open, bariatric surgery was linked with protective effects against acute kidney injury. Although investigators found an increased risk of acute kidney injury within the first 30 days after surgery, they noted the overall effect of the procedure on the incidence of acute kidney injury was beneficial.

Poor functional kidney status among elderly patients with end-stage renal disease was associated with higher odds of central venous catheter use and initiating hemodialysis and was an independent predictor of 1-year mortality, according to research from the University of Cincinnati.

Substantial differences in arteriovenous fistula maturation were seen across some end-stage renal disease networks, according to a study published in the American Journal of Kidney Disease. The research highlighted a need for additional study of provider, practice and regional factors that explain arteriovenous fistula maturation.

Researchers from the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study Practice Monitor will present new outcomes data on vascular access techniques in the United States at a WebEx conference on May 3.

Regional anesthetic technique increased the success of surgery even one year after the procedure, according to a study comparing regional anesthetic and local anesthetic technique at the time of surgery.