Long-term hemodialysis is a lifesaver for approximately half a million patients in the United States with kidney failure (also known as end-stage renal disease, or ESRD) who are either waiting on or unsuitable for a kidney transplant. But before the external machinery can take over the function of the kidneys—filtering and cleansing wastes from the blood—a minor surgical procedure is needed to create a stable, functional and reusable access to the circulatory system, usually through blood vessels in the arm.
* This article was originally published here
