NEW NEEDLE FOR 2 NEEDLE HEMODIALYSIS

A new venous needle (VN) that also can be used as an arterial needle ( AN) has been designed to diminish the undesirable hemodynamic effects of dialysis with high blood flow rate (300-600 ml/min) in arteriovenou s polytetrafluoroethylene grafts, and in accesses of short length (U.S . Patent No. 5,662,619). The preferred embodiment has one distal openi ng, two lateral openings, and two diverters located in the interior su rface of the shaft adjacent to each lateral opening. The diverters fac ilitate the flow of blood to the outside of the needle through the lat eral openings. The new VN ejects three jets of blood, contrary to the currently used VN, which ejects one jet of high velocity. This decreas es the velocity of the VN flow and the velocity; turbulence; wall shea r stress; and positive pressure of the flow, past the VN, during dialy sis. These may decrease the endothelial damage, intimal hyperplasia, s tenoses, thromboses, and recirculation of dialysis blood (RODB). When used as an AN, the new needle lowers the negative pressure surrounding the AN and the RODB. In summary, the new needle may decrease the comp lications and prolong the life span of the accesses and improve the pe rformance of dialysis.