DIALYSIS ACCESS OVERVIEW

Kidney disease is a global issue. Approximately 2 million people worldwide suffer from kidney failure, and the number of patients diagnosed with the disease continues to increase at a rate of 5-7% per year.1 As many people worldwide currently receive treatment with dialysis or a kidney transplant to stay alive, yet this number may only represent 10% of people who actually need treatment to live.2
Access is the foundation for any successful dialysis procedure. Merit Medical’s comprehensive Dialysis Access Portfolio brings quality, reliability and innovative solutions to your practice.

PROCEDURES

Procedural Solutions for Dialysis Access

Merit’s Dialysis Access Portfolio supports a full range of dialysis access procedures, including arteriovenous fistula creation, graft placement, catheter insertion, and maintenance interventions such as declotting and angioplasty. With precision-engineered access tools, clinicians can establish and maintain reliable vascular access for both hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients. The portfolio offers solutions designed to optimize insertion, reduce complications, and support long-term access site functionality, helping ensure successful dialysis treatments across diverse patient populations.

CheckArteriovenous fistula creation
CheckGraft placement
CheckCatheter insertion,
CheckDeclotting
CheckAngioplasty

PRODUCTS

Peritoneal Dialysis

Compared to in-center hemodialysis, home dialysis patient advantages include more profound improvements in blood pressure control, better kidney disease-related quality of life, and shorter recovery time from dialysis treatments. Such benefits are also associated with peritoneal dialysis (PD) compared to in-center hemodialysis.

We offer a line of Flex-neck PD Catheters that are available in various shapes and sizes to accommodate tunneling techniques and exit site options. Our adult catheters have an internal diameter of 3.5 mm, allowing up to 30% higher flow rates than competitors (with 2.6 mm internal diameter). Infant catheters are available in one and two cuff configurations. Each catheter kit contains a unique stenciling system for improved placement accuracy.

Key Features & Benefits

  • Large internal diameter.
  • Available in a range of sizes for adult, adolescent, pediatric, and infant patients.
  • PD accessories as well as Laparoscopic and Percutaneous Implantation Kits are available to streamline procedures and promote efficiency.

Learn More

Flex-Neck Catheters - Peritoneal Dialysis PD - Merit Medical

PLEASE NOTE: This product page is intended only for an audience outside of the United States as the Merit WRAPSODY Endoprothesis is not approved or available for sale in the United States. By going to the WRAPSODY’s product page, you are acknowledging you are not viewing this information for use within the United States.

 

SOLUTIONS FROM STICK TO STITCH

From unique, life-saving devices for dialysis access to accessories for everything in between – including catheters, balloons, torque devices and more, Merit offers a full portfolio of products designed with both patients and physicians in mind.

Dynamis AV Balloon Catheter

DYNAMIS AV™

The Dynamis AV is a dilatation balloon catheter indicated for the treatment of obstructive lesions of native or synthetic arteriovenous dialysis fistulae.

Advocate PTA Catheter Entire Catheter Inflated

ADVOCATE™ PTA CATHETERS

When it comes to peripheral intervention, having a wide variety of available product and treatment options is important. The Advocate PTA balloon catheter portfolio facilitates demand for versatility by combining unique configurations into a broad matrix of balloon sizes and catheter lengths.

as4pd

A significant part of improving dialysis care is ensuring patients understand their treatment options. Ask4PD.com is a patient education site powered by Merit that’s dedicated to helping patients understand dialysis care, especially PD. Individuals have access to helpful resources, including patient and healthcare professional testimonials.

Explore Ask4PD.com

CLINICIAN TRAINING & SUPPORT

In this webinar, gain an overview and learn about components of percutaneous PD with Dr. Peter B. Hathaway, a nationally recognized leader in PD catheter placement.

Course topics include:

  • Current PD environment
  • Pre-operative assessment and prep
  • Ultrasound techniques
  • Percutaneous PD tools and kits
  • Patient stenciling
  • PD catheter implantation
  • Tunneling techniques
  • Complications and trouble shooting
  • And more

Earn continuing education credits with our Virtual Dialysis Access CE Program. Designed for nurses, dialysis technicians, and other healthcare professionals, this program offers and overview of dialysis access by outlining the types of access available and the order of preference for use.

Program topics include:

  • Overview of dialysis access
  • Order of preference for dialysis access
  • Types of dialysis access: AV fistula, AV graft, hemodialysis catheters, PD

To register for these virtual training opportunities as well as learn about our Think Dialysis Access™ physician education program, visit here.

To better aid physicians in dialysis access cases, we also have a dedicated team of dialysis access clinical specialists who understand the intricacies of hemodialysis and PD and are ready to support you. From explaining correct Merit product use to on-site troubleshooting, Merit clinical specialists are available to assist. Connect with a Merit clinical specialist today.

REFERENCES

  1. University of California San Francisco. 2018. “The Kidney Project.” https://pharm.ucsf.edu/kidney/need/statistics
  2. Initial Experience and Outcome of a New Hemodialysis Access Device for Catheter-Dependent Patients.Howard E. Katzman, Robert B. McLafferty, John R. Ross, Marc H. Glickman, Eric K. Peden and Jeffrey H. Lawson. JVS, Journal of Vascular Surgery, September 2009 Volume 50, Issue 3, Pages 600-607.e1
  3. Gage et al. 2012. EJVES.
  4. Data on file at Bluegrass Vascular Technologies, Inc.
  5. Data on file.
  6. Rodriguez, Eduardo, et al. 2017. “Hemodialysis Outflow Vein Stenosis.” In Hemodialysis Access Fundamentals and Advanced Management, edited by Sherene Shalhub, Anahita Dua, and Susanna Shin, 257–263. Switzerland: Springer International Publishing.