ABSTRACT
In 2001, the number of end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients in the United States was 398,553 (1). This population is expected to double by 2010 representing a growth rate of 7% per year (2,3). In the same year, 94,905 patients required renal replacement therapy for the first time (1). Most are dialyzed with hemodialysis (HD) using an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) or prosthetic arteriovenous graft (AVG). Complications of vascular access represent the single largest source of morbidity in the ESRD population, accounting for 15% of hospitalizations (4). The estimated annual cost of graft complications is $1 billion.
