Kidney dialysis patients often need repeated procedures, such as balloon angioplasty, to open blood vessels that become blocked or narrowed at the point where dialysis machines connect to the body. These blockages can impact the effectiveness of hemodialysis, a life-saving treatment to remove toxins from the blood when the kidneys are unable to do so. But a new FDA-approved stent graft can keep these access points open longer, reducing the number of procedures these patients may need, according to research from the University of Maryland published in the February 11, 2010, edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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