Vital Access Reports Live VWING Clinical Cases and SAVE Study Clinical Data Presentation at CiDA Conference

SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Vital Access Corporation today announced that on Friday, October 25^th, Dr. John Ross, MD, FACS performed live VWING Vascular Needle Guide implantation cases and Dr. William Jennings, MD, FACS presented clinical data from the pivotal U.S. SAVE study at the 2013 Controversies in Dialysis Access (CiDA) Meeting in San Francisco.

As part of the CiDA conference agenda, Dr. John Ross performed three VWING implantation cases at his surgical facilities in Orangeburg, South Carolina, two of which were broadcast live to a large audience of physicians. These three cases represent common challenges faced by patients and clinicians in achieving vascular access. The first case involved a cephalic vein arteriovenous fistula (AVF) exhibiting a short usable length, where the VWING was implanted to provide an additional cannulation site for the patient and to extend the usable length of the fistula. The second case involved a non-transposed brachiobasilic AVF where the VWING was implanted to allow cannulation of the fistula in its native position without having to transpose or elevate the vessel. The third case involved a deep radiocephalic vein AVF where the VWING was implanted to permit cannulation of the vessel in its current position and avoid a more-invasive surgical elevation procedure. In all three cases, the VWING was implanted to facilitate easier access to the fistula to allow for safe and effective dialysis treatment. Following the cases, Dr. Ross stated, "For the difficult to cannulate fistula, the standard of care may have been changed by the VWING."

Dr. William Jennings presented results from the recently completed U.S. SAVE study, an IDE pivotal trial of the VWING™ Vascular Needle Guide that supported the recent U.S. market clearance of the device. Dr. Jennings, who was a principal investigator for the SAVE study at the University of Oklahoma in Tulsa, also discussed VWING surgical techniques and cannulation practice. Dr. Jennings described his experience with the VWING, stating, "I expect the device will be an important option for vascular access surgeons. Non-usable fistulas were easily converted to a reliable vascular access quickly, using the VWING implanted in a relatively minor procedure.  Both patients and staff were very pleased with the outcomes."

Doug Smith, President and CEO of Vital Access, summarized the activities of the meeting, stating, "In addition to the live cases and scheduled SAVE study report, we were pleased to see the VWING discussed on several other occasions throughout the conference. The response during and after CiDA has been very encouraging."

About Vital Access™:

Vital Access Corporation is a privately held company located in Salt Lake City that designs and manufactures surgical and interventional technologies to improve vascular access for patients and caregivers. The VWING™ Vascular Needle Guide is commercially available in the U.S., Europe, Canada, and New Zealand. For more information, call 801-433-9390 or visit www.vital-access.com.

Contact: Doug Smith, 801-433-9390

SOURCE Vital Access Corporation