Early state vascular devices maker Flow Forward emerged from the nest, so to speak, spinning out of the Novita life sciences incubator in Olathe, Kansas.
Founded in 2011, Flow Forward is taking with it the AFE System, a device intended to help more patients undergo hemodialysis via an arteriovenous fistula (AVF), the gold standard in vascular access sites.
Nearly half of hemodialysis patients are currently unable to use AVF access due to incompatible vein characteristics or AVF failure, Flow Forward said. The company’s Arteriovenous Fistula Eligibility (AFE) System helps dilate peripheral veins prior to AVF surgery.
The device is comprised of a temporary, external blood pump designed to stimulate vein dilation and make more patients eligible for AVF access.
"This represents real innovation, with the potential to deliver benefits to patients that would not have previously been thought possible," Flow Forward director Tom Krol said in prepared remarks. "Successful development and commercialization of the AFE System could alleviate some of the enormous burden that vascular access failure places on patients, health care providers and payers."