Hemodialysis access method for a patient and associated dialysis stent for use with an arteriovenous fistula or graft

A dialysis stent for use with an arteriovenous (AV) fistula or graft that connects an artery to a vein in a patient for hemodialysis treatment of renal disease, the dialysis stent comprising:

• a shunt tube having (i) an elastic central restrictor segment that is integral with a wall of the shunt tube, (ii) an inlet end, (iii) an outlet end, and (iv) a central opening extending from the inlet end to the outlet end such that the central opening has a first diameter,
• wherein the elastic central restrictor segment narrows the central opening to create a stenosis in the shunt tube that acts as a flow restrictor for allowing the shunt tube to elastically shunt blood flow from an extremity of the patient, and
• wherein the elastic central restrictor segment creates a reduced diameter section of a second diameter in the shunt tube that is elastically adjustable from the second diameter, which is less than the first diameter, to a third diameter that is greater than the second diameter such that the stenosis expands when the shunt tube moves from having the second diameter to having the third diameter, and then from the third diameter back to the second diameter.

A hemodialysis access method for a patient, comprising:

• deploying a dialysis stent within an arterial venous (AV) fistula or graft, the dialysis stent comprising a shunt tube and at least one restrictor, the shunt tube having an inlet end, an outlet end, and a central opening extending from the inlet end to the outlet end such that the central opening has a first diameter, the at least one restrictor extending around a portion of the shunt tube located between the inlet end and the outlet end and configured to narrow the central opening;
• and
• creating a stenosis in the shunt tube with the at least one restrictor, the stenosis acting as a flow restrictor for allowing the shunt tube to shunt blood flow from an extremity of the patient, and to create a reduced diameter section of a second diameter in the shunt tube that is less than the first diameter.