REPEATABLE ACCESS BLOOD FLOW (ABF) MEASUREMENT.

There are few studies in the literature pertaining to blood flow measurements in various types of blood access and the relationship between blood flow and access morbidity. Currently available methods for access flow measurements include electromagnetic flow monitoring, isotopic and dye dilution techniques, pneumatic plethysmography and Doppler ultrasound monitoring. These methods vary in terms of degree of invasiveness, accuracy, reproducibility, complexity of instrumentation, and ease of use. None of these methods is suited to the routine and repeated measurement of access flow in the clinical setting. This paper presents a method for clinical monitoring of blood flow rates in accesses associated with the Hemasite device (Renal Systems, Inc. ) that fulfills these criteria.