--- title: "2025 Practicum" description: "The Vascular Access Society of the Americas (VASA) is a multidisciplinary organization dedicated to enhancing dialysis access care through education, research, and advocacy. Join VASA for expert-led events, access the Journal of Vascular Access, and connect with professionals committed to advancing" url: "https://vasamd.org/events/practicum/2025" date: "2026-06-13T04:59:54+00:00" language: "en-GB" --- # 2025 Practicum ![](https://vasamd.org/_resources/images/practicum/2025/banner.jpg)On behalf of the Vascular Access Society of the Americas, we extend this invitation for your participation in the Vascular Access Society of the Americas’ Hands-On Practicum on Hemodialysis Access that will be held on May 16-17, 2025, at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO. This will be a one-and-a-half-day activity enabling participants to obtain ‘Hands-On’ experience, observe live surgical/ interventional vascular access procedures and new methods, learn cannulation techniques, view demonstrations of emerging technology and share a platform for open discussions on various approaches to patients with vascular access problems with National and International leaders in the field. **We have developed an outstanding program for physicians that will include:** - Observation and discussion of surgical and interventional vascular access procedures - Utilization of new devices and learning techniques in animals and cadaver limbs in the laboratory - Hands on experience with techniques of implanting various graft materials and fistula creation - Hands training with the use of color duplex ultrasound in vascular access ## Allied Health Professionals Advanced Practice Professionals, RN, LPN, Dialysis Patient Care Technicians and Vascular Access Coordinators **Our excellent program for Nursing and Allied Health participants will include:** - Observation an discussion of live surgical and interventional procedures - Physical examination skills for evaluating vascular access in ESRD volunteers - Experience with the use of ultrasound to evaluate vascular access, including cannulation mapping. - Hands on experience with the use of ultrasound to evaluate vascular access - Learning cannulation techniques including ‘button hole’ using ‘fistula arm’ and simulators In addition to these main activities all delegates will have ample opportunities to view and learn about new innovations, different interventional devices, graft materials, peritoneal dialysis catheters, dialysis needles, dialysis catheter, review catheter care and participate in related activities. | THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2025 | |---| | **06:00 AM - 09:00 PM** | Registration and Welcome Reception | | FRIDAY, MAY 16, 2025 | |---| | **06:30 AM - 07:15 AM** | Breakfast and Registration | | **07:15 AM - 07:25 AM** | Welcome Address and Introduction | | **07:35 AM - 07:45 AM** | Delegate Groups Escorted to their Respective Activity Arena. | | **07:45 AM - 09:45 AM** | Physician Session I/Affiliate Staff Session I | | **09:45 AM - 10:15 AM** | Refreshment Break | | **10:15 AM - 12:15 PM** | Physician Session II/Affiliate Staff Session II | | **12:15 PM - 01:00 PM** | Box Lunch (Exhibits area) | | **01:00 PM - 03:00 PM** | Physician Session III/Affiliate Staff Session III | | **03:00 PM - 03:30 PM** | Coffee Break (All Delegates) at Exhibits Area | | **03:45 PM - 04:45 PM** | Vascular Access Clinic (All Delegates) | | **04:45 PM** | Adjourn | | **06:00 PM - 06:15 PM** | Busses Depart from Hotels for Dinner | | **06:30 PM - 09:00 PM** | Dinner | ## Physician Activities **Arena 1.** Delegates spend time in Surgical education laboratory with faculty honing and perfecting surgical and endovascular skills. Activity includes Vivarium and cadaver dissection including experience with exposure, fistula creation, graft placement, tunnelling techniques, fistulography, angioplasty, stent deployment, surfacer technology and HeRo grafts. **Arena 2.** This session will provide opportunity to view live surgical and interventional procedures related to vascular access while interacting with the surgeons/interventionalists and involving in an open discussion with our experienced faculty. **Arena 3.** This area will provide hands on training with use of duplex US and techniques of vessel mapping, access flow evaluation, managing access complications such as Aneurysm evaluation etc. using our ESRD volunteers. Ther also will be several virtual simulators to gain experience with cannulation, US guided and endovascular interventions. ## Affiliated Staff Activities **Arena 4.** This area will have cadaver and simulation models related to vascular access, peritoneal dialysis access and cannulation. It will also have devices including various grafts and dialysis catheters along peritoneal and hemodialysis catheters. Beside these activities all delegates will have ample opportunity to evaluate different graft materials, devices and tools used for dialysis access interventions, cannulation and all aspects of dialysis patient care. ## Physician Activities **Station 1. (WISE Lab)** - Fresh cadaver limbs - Dissect and explore anatomy of veins, arteries and nerves at snuff box, wrist, cubital fossa or axilla. - AV fistula creation: snuff box, wrist, elbow - AV graft placement: forearm loop, upper arm ‘U’ loop, upper arm ‘C’ loop - Graft options: ePTFE, Composite grafts, biological grafts, Human Collagen matrix grafts - Graft tunnelling techniques - Pig models - AV fistula creation: carotid to jugular, Hind limb (porcine thigh fistula) - AV graft placement: Hind limb. Thigh loop, neck loop - HeRo graft placement - Pig models (Options with ‘c’ arm) - AVG fistulogram - Central vein imaging - Thrombectomy techniques - Angioplasty techniques - Stent deployment - Peritoneal dialysis catheter insertion; Cadaver and virtual models - Open insertion - Laparoscopic insertion - Virtual training **Station 2 (EPNEC auditorium)** Live access cases: delegates will view and interact with surgeons and interventionalists performing vascular access surgery and interventions on patients – experience depends on cases being performed. Every session will have an opportunity to watch and interact with at least 2 or 3 procedures or more. Participants may choose to spend more time at this venue (miss other area rotation) if they chose to do so. **Arena 3 (EPNEC rooms)** Training with simulators and live patients access US evaluation. - Learning basic US techniques - US vessel mapping - US evaluation of existing vascular access - Maturation evaluation - Evaluation of complications - Virtual simulator training - Hands on evaluation of devices and tools in vascular access ## Affiliated staff activities **Station 1 (EPNEC)** Cadaver and simulation models for Vascular and peritoneal dialysis access - What is beneath the skin? Anatomic limb model with artery, vein and nerves dissected - Understanding AV access types - AV graft anatomic locations - AV catheter placement techniques - AV catheter types - PD catheter types and placement (cadaver model) **Station 2 (EPNEC auditorium)** Live access cases: delegates will view and interact with faculty who are involved in performing vascular access evaluation, surgery and interventions. Participant experience depends on cases being performed. Every session will have an opportunity to watch and interact with at least 2 or 3 procedures or more (participants may choose to miss other sessions and spend more time at this venue if they chose to do so). **Station 3 (EPNEC rooms)** Basic US, AV access evaluation, cannulation techniques - Learning basic US - US vessel mapping - US evaluation of existing vascular access - Maturation evaluation - Evaluation of complications - Cannulation simulators and techniques | SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2025 | |---| | **07:00 AM - 08:00 AM** | Breakfast Symposium | | **08:10 AM - 10:20 AM** | Session 1 Managing ESRD: What Do We Need to Know (08:10 - 08:20) Speaker: Monnie Wasse, MD, MPH --- Vascular Access Planning (08:20 - 08:30) Speaker: John Lucas, MD --- Venography Techniques (08:30 - 08:40) Speaker: Dirk Hentschel, MD --- PD Catheter Insert Techniques (08:40 - 08:50) Speaker: Jennifer Yu, MD --- Forearm AVF Creation Techniques (08:50 - 09:00) Speaker: Jaime Velez, MD --- Forearm Loop Graft (09:00 - 09:10) Speaker: Monnie Wasse, MD, MPH --- Percutaenous AVF Creation (09:10 - 09:20) Speaker: Alejandro Alvarez, MD --- Upper arm And Thigh AVG (09:20 - 09:30) Speaker: Carlos Hinojosa, MD --- Thigh AVF Creation (09:30 - 09:40) Speaker: Eric Peden, MD --- Maturation Evaluation (09:40 - 09:50) Speaker: Karen Woo, MD, PhD --- AVG Percutaneous Thrombectomy (09:50 - 10:00) Speaker: John Aruny, MD --- AVF VIR Thrombectomy (10:00 - 10:10) Speaker: Alexander Ushinsky, MD --- AVF Surgical Thrombectomy (10:10 - 10:20) Speaker: John Aruny, MD Moderators: TBD | | **10:20 AM - 10:50 AM** | Break | | **10:50 AM - 11:30 AM** | Session 2 Venostent (10:50 - 10:57) Speaker: TBD --- Safer Decannulation with Novel Hemostatic Wrap (10:57 - 11:04) Speaker: Ravi Kumar, MD --- Praxis - Stent-Sutureless (11:04 - 11:11) Speaker: John Ross, MD --- 1 yr Outcome of Wrapsody AV Access Efficacy (WAVE) Study (11:11 - 11:18) Speaker: Dirk Hentschel, MD --- Flex Device - Clinical Data (11:18 - 11:25) Speaker: Ari Kramer, MD | | **11:30 AM - 12:40 AM** | Session 3 How to Critically Evaluate the Pivitol Study Reports? (11:30 - 11:40) Speaker: Robert Lee, MD --- Aneurysm Repair (11:40 - 11:50) Speaker: Vicki Teodorescu, MD --- Precision Flow Reduction (11:50 - 12:00) Speaker: Greg Marten, MD --- Managing HAIDI (12:00 - 12:10) Speaker: Yael Vin, MD --- Surgical Management of Thoracic Inlet Problems (12:10 - 12:20) Speaker: Mohamad Hussain, MD --- Managing CV Stenosis/Occlusion (12:20 - 12:30) Speaker: Charles Kim, MD --- Vascular Access Billing and Coding (12:30 - 12:40) Speaker: TBD | | **12:50 AM - 02:00 PM** | Session 4 Case Presentations with Box Lunches | ## Schema ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://vasamd.org" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Practicum", "item": "https://vasamd.org/events/practicum" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "2025", "item": "https://vasamd.org/events/practicum/2025" } ] } ``` ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://vasamd.org/events/practicum/2025#organization2", "name": "Vascular Access Society of the Americas", "alternateName": "Agentis", "legalName": "Agentis Management", "email": "info@vasamd.org", "url": "https://vasamd.org", "telephone": "(859) 977-7457", "foundingDate": "2004-01-01", "logo": "https://vasamd.org//images/gsd.png", "image": "https://vasamd.org//images/gsd.png", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "1024 Capital Center Drive, Suite 205, Frankfort, Kentucky", "postalCode": "40601" } } ``` ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://vasamd.org/events/practicum/2025" }, "headline": "2025 Practicum", "description": "2025 Practicum On behalf of the Vascular Access Society of the Americas, we extend this invitation for your participation in the Vascular Access Society of the Americas’ Hands-On Practicum on Hemodialysis Access that will be held on May 16-17, 2025, at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO. This will be a one-and-a-half-day activity enabling participants to obtain ‘Hands-On’ experience, observe live surgical/ interventional vascular access procedures and new methods, learn cannulation techniques, view demonstrations of emerging technology and share a platform for open discussions on various approaches to patients with vascular access problems with National and International leaders in the field. We have developed an outstanding program for physicians that will include: Observation and discussion of surgical and interventional vascular access procedures Utilization of new devices and learning techniques in animals and cadaver limbs in the laboratory Hands on experience with techniques of implanting various graft materials and fistula creation Hands training with the use of color duplex ultrasound in vascular access Allied Health Professionals Advanced Practice Professionals, RN, LPN, Dialysis Patient Care Technicians and Vascular Access Coordinators Our excellent program for Nursing and Allied Health participants will include: Observation an discussion of live surgical and interventional procedures Physical examination skills for evaluating vascular access in ESRD volunteers Experience with the use of ultrasound to evaluate vascular access, including cannulation mapping. Hands on experience with the use of ultrasound to evaluate vascular access Learning cannulation techniques including ‘button hole’ using ‘fistula arm’ and simulators In addition to these main activities all delegates will have ample opportunities to view and learn about new innovations, different interventional devices, graft materials, peritoneal dialysis catheters, dialysis needles, dialysis catheter, review catheter care and participate in related activities. THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2025 06:00 AM - 09:00 PM Registration and Welcome Reception FRIDAY, MAY 16, 2025 06:30 AM - 07:15 AM Breakfast and Registration 07:15 AM - 07:25 AM Welcome Address and Introduction 07:35 AM - 07:45 AM Delegate Groups Escorted to their Respective Activity Arena. 07:45 AM - 09:45 AM Physician Session I/Affiliate Staff Session I 09:45 AM - 10:15 AM Refreshment Break 10:15 AM - 12:15 PM Physician Session II/Affiliate Staff Session II 12:15 PM - 01:00 PM Box Lunch (Exhibits area) 01:00 PM - 03:00 PM Physician Session III/Affiliate Staff Session III 03:00 PM - 03:30 PM Coffee Break (All Delegates) at Exhibits Area 03:45 PM - 04:45 PM Vascular Access Clinic (All Delegates) 04:45 PM Adjourn 06:00 PM - 06:15 PM Busses Depart from Hotels for Dinner 06:30 PM - 09:00 PM Dinner Physician Activities Arena 1. Delegates spend time in Surgical education laboratory with faculty honing and perfecting surgical and endovascular skills. Activity includes Vivarium and cadaver dissection including experience with exposure, fistula creation, graft placement, tunnelling techniques, fistulography, angioplasty, stent deployment, surfacer technology and HeRo grafts. Arena 2. This session will provide opportunity to view live surgical and interventional procedures related to vascular access while interacting with the surgeons/interventionalists and involving in an open discussion with our experienced faculty. Arena 3. This area will provide hands on training with use of duplex US and techniques of vessel mapping, access flow evaluation, managing access complications such as Aneurysm evaluation etc. using our ESRD volunteers. Ther also will be several virtual simulators to gain experience with cannulation, US guided and endovascular interventions. Affiliated Staff Activities Arena 4. This area will have cadaver and simulation models related to vascular access, peritoneal dialysis access and cannulation. It will also have devices including various grafts and dialysis catheters along peritoneal and hemodialysis catheters. Beside these activities all delegates will have ample opportunity to evaluate different graft materials, devices and tools used for dialysis access interventions, cannulation and all aspects of dialysis patient care. Physician Activities Station 1. (WISE Lab) Fresh cadaver limbs Dissect and explore anatomy of veins, arteries and nerves at snuff box, wrist, cubital fossa or axilla. AV fistula creation: snuff box, wrist, elbow AV graft placement: forearm loop, upper arm ‘U’ loop, upper arm ‘C’ loop Graft options: ePTFE, Composite grafts, biological grafts, Human Collagen matrix grafts Graft tunnelling techniques Pig models AV fistula creation: carotid to jugular, Hind limb (porcine thigh fistula) AV graft placement: Hind limb. Thigh loop, neck loop HeRo graft placement Pig models (Options with ‘c’ arm) AVG fistulogram Central vein imaging Thrombectomy techniques Angioplasty techniques Stent deployment Peritoneal dialysis catheter insertion; Cadaver and virtual models Open insertion Laparoscopic insertion Virtual training Station 2 (EPNEC auditorium) Live access cases: delegates will view and interact with surgeons and interventionalists performing vascular access surgery and interventions on patients – experience depends on cases being performed. Every session will have an opportunity to watch and interact with at least 2 or 3 procedures or more. Participants may choose to spend more time at this venue (miss other area rotation) if they chose to do so. Arena 3 (EPNEC rooms) Training with simulators and live patients access US evaluation. Learning basic US techniques US vessel mapping US evaluation of existing vascular access Maturation evaluation Evaluation of complications Virtual simulator training Hands on evaluation of devices and tools in vascular access Affiliated staff activities Station 1 (EPNEC) Cadaver and simulation models for Vascular and peritoneal dialysis access What is beneath the skin? Anatomic limb model with artery, vein and nerves dissected Understanding AV access types AV graft anatomic locations AV catheter placement techniques AV catheter types PD catheter types and placement (cadaver model) Station 2 (EPNEC auditorium) Live access cases: delegates will view and interact with faculty who are involved in performing vascular access evaluation, surgery and interventions. Participant experience depends on cases being performed. Every session will have an opportunity to watch and interact with at least 2 or 3 procedures or more (participants may choose to miss other sessions and spend more time at this venue if they chose to do so). Station 3 (EPNEC rooms) Basic US, AV access evaluation, cannulation techniques Learning basic US US vessel mapping US evaluation of existing vascular access Maturation evaluation Evaluation of complications Cannulation simulators and techniques SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2025 07:00 AM - 08:00 AM Breakfast Symposium 08:10 AM - 10:20 AM Session 1 Managing ESRD: What Do We Need to Know (08:10 - 08:20) Speaker: Monnie Wasse, MD, MPH Vascular Access Planning (08:20 - 08:30) Speaker: John Lucas, MD Venography Techniques (08:30 - 08:40) Speaker: Dirk Hentschel, MD PD Catheter Insert Techniques (08:40 - 08:50) Speaker: Jennifer Yu, MD Forearm AVF Creation Techniques (08:50 - 09:00) Speaker: Jaime Velez, MD Forearm Loop Graft (09:00 - 09:10) Speaker: Monnie Wasse, MD, MPH Percutaenous AVF Creation (09:10 - 09:20) Speaker: Alejandro Alvarez, MD Upper arm And Thigh AVG (09:20 - 09:30) Speaker: Carlos Hinojosa, MD Thigh AVF Creation (09:30 - 09:40) Speaker: Eric Peden, MD Maturation Evaluation (09:40 - 09:50) Speaker: Karen Woo, MD, PhD AVG Percutaneous Thrombectomy (09:50 - 10:00) Speaker: John Aruny, MD AVF VIR Thrombectomy (10:00 - 10:10) Speaker: Alexander Ushinsky, MD AVF Surgical Thrombectomy (10:10 - 10:20) Speaker: John Aruny, MD Moderators: TBD 10:20 AM - 10:50 AM Break 10:50 AM - 11:30 AM Session 2 Venostent (10:50 - 10:57) Speaker: TBD Safer Decannulation with Novel Hemostatic Wrap (10:57 - 11:04) Speaker: Ravi Kumar, MD Praxis - Stent-Sutureless (11:04 - 11:11) Speaker: John Ross, MD 1 yr Outcome of Wrapsody AV Access Efficacy (WAVE) Study (11:11 - 11:18) Speaker: Dirk Hentschel, MD Flex Device - Clinical Data (11:18 - 11:25) Speaker: Ari Kramer, MD 11:30 AM - 12:40 AM Session 3 How to Critically Evaluate the Pivitol Study Reports? (11:30 - 11:40) Speaker: Robert Lee, MD Aneurysm Repair (11:40 - 11:50) Speaker: Vicki Teodorescu, MD Precision Flow Reduction (11:50 - 12:00) Speaker: Greg Marten, MD Managing HAIDI (12:00 - 12:10) Speaker: Yael Vin, MD Surgical Management of Thoracic Inlet Problems (12:10 - 12:20) Speaker: Mohamad Hussain, MD Managing CV Stenosis/Occlusion (12:20 - 12:30) Speaker: Charles Kim, MD Vascular Access Billing and Coding (12:30 - 12:40) Speaker: TBD 12:50 AM - 02:00 PM Session 4 Case Presentations with Box Lunches", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://vasamd.org/" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Vascular Access Society of the Americas", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://vasamd.org//images/gsd.png" } }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Scarnegie", "url": "https://vasamd.org/events/practicum/2025" }, "datePublished": "2025-06-20T21:46:40+00:00", "dateCreated": "2025-06-20T21:46:40+00:00", "dateModified": "2026-05-28T13:41:56+00:00" } ```