Summary: Many people with kidney failure who undergo hemodialysis develop scarring at the site where the dialysis machines connect to their bodies. This scarring causes the blood vessels to become narrowed or blocked, which can impede blood flow. These patients may then need repeated procedures, such as angioplasty, to open the blood vessels. But a study shows that a new stent is effective at keeping the vessels open longer, reducing the number of angioplasties that patient need to re-open the vessels. In this podcast, Dr. Ziv Haskal talks about his study and describes hemodialysis. Dr. Haskal's study on the new stent is published in the February 11, 2010, edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.
