710697Stent Tek Limited: Improving outcomes for hemodialysis patients through minimally invasive vascular access creation.ClosedGRD Proof of ConceptInnovate UKSome 2.4m people worldwide have kidney conditions which require their blood to be routinely externally filtered. This haemodialysis treatment requires their circulatory (i.e. blood) system to be regularly connected to a dialysis machine. This requires patients to undergo a surgical procedure to prepare their vessels by forming a connection between an artery and a vein in their arm; called a fistula. However fistulas are unreliable, often blocking and requiring repeated costly repair operations (costing US$4.6bn/year in the USA). Failures of the fistula also present a serious danger to life. This project will investigate the concept of using a stent graft (synthetic tube) to form the fistula and its insertion via a novel surgical tool. The overall procedure will be significantly less invasive than surgery, and it aims to offer improved long-term stability and provide a better quality of life for patients and their families and will result in significant cost savings to healthcare providers.