Dialysis patients sought for access point device testing by SMH

In an effort to minimize dialysis complications for those living with end-stage kidney disease, Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s Kolschowsky Research and Education Institute is exploring a new treatment option.

The clinical study is aimed at providing a safer, more reliable access point for patients who may experience infections, blood clots and stenosis while undergoing dialysis treatment.

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Led locally by vascular surgeon Dr. Jason Wagner, the multi-center study sponsored by Xeltis — a Netherlands-based medical device maker — is testing the safety and effectiveness of aXess, a restorative vascular access conduit.

Developed using Xeltis’ proprietary endogenous tissue restoration platform, which uses Nobel Prize-winning breakthroughs in polymer technology, aXess is safely designed to integrate with the body. 

Over time, natural healing allows the patient’s own tissue to regenerate before the device is gradually absorbed and replaced, forming a new, natural and long-living blood vessel. Over the course of the process, the aXess conduit dissolves completely, leaving behind a natural, stronger dialysis access point made of the patients’ own cells and vascular tissue. 

The study will enroll up to 140 patients at 20 sites. Eligible participants must be 18 years or older, have end-stage kidney disease, be expected to need dialysis within the next six months and suitable for placement of an aXess conduit. 

For more information or to determine eligibility to participate in the local study, contact the research team at 941-917-2225 or [email protected]. For information about the trial, visit ClinicalTrials.gov.