? Of the 400,000 Americans living with end stage renal disease, nearly 250,000 undergo hemodialysis treatments 2-3 times each week. The cost of establishing and maintaining vascular access in dialysis patients is a staggering $13,500 per patient per annum. The frequency of puncture often leads to complications, such as uncontrollable bleeding after dialysis needle removal, resulting in 70% of patients requiring two or more corrective surgical procedures annually to maintain access. To address the bleeding problem, Rocky Mountain Biosystems, Inc., is developing an activated adhesive technology called FastSeal, which is designed to produce a fluid-tight seal in needle tracts. FastSeal uses a focused, high-frequency magnetic field, to effect localized heating of a novel biocompatible adhesive thus affecting an immediate seal. The adhesive can be used in wet or dry environments, can predictably be used in the presence of pressures, and is very economical. The investigators propose to further develop the adhesive and applicator, and to test the FastSeal process in an in vitro skin puncture model. The focus of Phase II will be developing a clinical system for sealing the needle tract and the site of venous access, whether synthetic or vascular. ? ?
