VentureMed Group recently announced that it has completed enrolment of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) titled ‘Flex Vessel Prep prior to PTA for the treatment of obstructive lesions in the native AVF’. This RCT was conducted to assess primary patency at six months when using Flex Vessel Prep system prior to percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) versus PTA alone for the treatment of obstructive lesions of native arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) in the upper extremity.
The FLEX RCT was a prospective, multicentre, randomised study conducted in seven sites across the USA. Seventy-five patients were enrolled and includes 30-day, three-month, and six-month follow-up.
“Although fistula are the preferred access for haemodialysis, fistula dysfunction and failure remains a significant issue in AV dialysis access care. Balloon angioplasty considered the gold standard by most, still has its limitations due to the resistant and recurrent nature of these hyperplasic lesions, often requiring the use of high-pressure balloons,” said Sanford Altman (Open Access Vascular Access, Miami, USA). “These high-pressure balloon treatments can cause vessel wall damage accelerating restenosis and shortening the time between interventions. By utilising the Flex Vessel Prep prior to angioplasty, we are hoping to see improved vessel compliance, reducing the need for high-pressure balloons while reducing the barotrauma to the vessel wall thereby extending the primary patency and time between interventions.”
“This RCT builds upon the rich and diverse data we are gathering for the Flex system. The rapid enrolment of these 75 patients at seven US centres during a COVID-19 surge is encouraging”, said Denis Harrington, president and chief executive officer of the VentureMed Group. “We are excited to report our previous study, the FLEX AV Registry, will be presented at the VASA 2022 Symposium (6–9 June, Charleston, USA). 2022 is becoming a very impressive year for Flex Vessel Prep”.
