2026 Symposium
The Vascular Access Society of the Americas invites you to participate as an exhibitor at the 2026 Vascular Access for Dialysis Symposium, May 20-22, 2026 at the Hilton Salt Lake City Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
This Symposium is designed for all transplant, vascular and general surgeons, nephrologists, interventional radiologists and nephrologists, nurses and allied health professionals who are interested in the management of vascular access. The VASA Symposium is an excellent opportunity for your company to showcase its products and services to a multidisciplinary audience committed to advancing dialysis patient care.
The Program Committee is busy planning an excellent scientific meeting that will include:
- State-of-the-art lectures covering all major areas in dialysis access
- Diverse multi-disciplinary faculty including prominent international
- speakers representing Europe, Asia, Canada, South America, & Japan
- 40 scientific abstract presentations
- Vascular access nursing and allied health
- New devices and technologies
- Video presentations
Now accepting Abstracts
Thank You 2026 Symposium Sponsors
Joint Accreditation Statement
In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by Amedco LLC and Vascular Access Society of the Americas. Amedco LLC is jointly accredited by the AccreditationCouncil for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education(ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education forthe healthcare team.
Professions in scope for this activity are listed below.
Amedco Joint Accreditation Provider Number: 4008163
Physicians
Amedco LLC designates this live activity for a maximum of 19.00 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM for physicians. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Nurses
Amedco LLC designates this activity for a maximum of 19.00 ANCC contact hours.
|
WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2026 |
|
|---|---|
|
07:00 AM - 08:00 AM |
Breakfast |
|
ALLIED HEALTH |
|
|
08:00 AM - 08:05 AM |
Welcome |
|
08:05 AM - 08:20 AM |
ESKD Life Plan and Access Plan |
|
08:20 AM - 08:50 AM |
AV Access Creation, HD Catheter and PD Placement |
|
08:50 AM - 09:35 AM |
Patient Models at Stations: 1-min Check with Patients, Physical Exams |
|
09:35 AM - 09:55 AM |
Break |
|
09:55 AM - 10:25 AM |
VASA Toolkit for Show & Tell |
|
10:25 AM - 10:55 AM |
Cannulation Stations |
|
10:55 AM - 11:40 AM |
ANNA Intermountain Chapter Collboration Session: 360 degree Care of the Nephrology Patient |
|
11:40 AM - 12:05 PM |
The Holland Keynote Lecture |
|
12:05 PM - 01:05 PM |
Lunch |
|
CANNULATION |
|
|
01:05 PM - 01:13 PM |
Plastic Cannulas for HD Cannulation |
|
01:13 PM - 01:21 PM |
Eradicating Area Cannulation / Dead Space Between Dialysis Needles |
|
01:21 PM - 01:29 PM |
Covered Stent Grafts in Cannulation Segment |
|
01:29 PM - 01:37 PM |
Image Guided Access Cannulation |
|
01:37 PM - 01:45 PM |
Buttonhole Cannulation |
|
01:45 PM - 01:53 PM |
Self Cannulation |
|
01:53 PM - 02:13 PM |
Cannulation Issues and Solutions: Americas and Beyond |
|
02:13 PM - 02:33 PM |
Break |
|
USRDS |
|
|
02:33 PM - 02:45 PM |
Welcome |
|
02:45 PM - 02:57 PM |
Fresenius or Davita: a Response |
|
02:57 PM - 03:09 PM |
How Can We Get Nephrologists to Refer Patients for Access Earlier? |
|
03:09 PM - 03:21 PM |
Artificial Intelligence will Save the Day (or Not) |
|
03:21 PM - 03:33 PM |
IPRO: IS CMS Oversight Effective? |
|
03:33 PM - 03:45 PM |
Not a One-and-Done: Role of Surgeons in Longitudinal Access Surveillance and Maintenance |
|
03:45 PM - 03:55 PM |
Break |
|
ACCESS PARADIGM |
|
|
03:55 PM - 04:07 PM |
Centralization of HD Access Care to Specialized Centers |
|
04:07 PM - 04:22 PM |
DEBATE: OBL Vascular Access Centers vs Hospitals: The Good and the Bad Speaker: Stephen Hohmann, MD; John Ross, MD |
|
04:27 PM - 04:39 PM |
Shared Decision Making - How? |
|
04:39 PM - 04:51 PM |
Home Hemodialysis |
|
04:51 PM - 05:11 PM |
Keynote Lecture - Current Status of Swine Renal Xenotransplantation |
|
THURSDAY, MAY 21, 2026 |
|
|---|---|
|
07:00 AM - 08:00 AM |
Breakfast |
|
08:00 AM - 08:05 AM |
Opening Remarks |
|
08:05 AM - 08:25 AM |
VASA Presidential Address |
|
AUTOGENOUS AV FISTULA |
|
|
08:25 AM - 08:37 AM |
Vein Mapping: Ultrasound vs Venography The presentation will outline the key features of two techniques—ultrasound and venography—used to evaluate a patient’s vessels prior to vascular access creation. It will compare the advantages and limitations of each method and propose a recommended best-practice assessment pathway. Learning Objectives
|
|
08:37 AM - 08:49 AM |
Which AVF is Best? Speaker: Mohamad Hussain, MD, PhD |
|
08:49 AM - 09:01 AM |
Criteria and Predictors for Maturation |
|
09:01 AM - 09:13 AM |
The Immature AVF: Methods to Induce Maturation |
|
09:13 AM - 09:25 AM |
Endo AVF's - The Current Evidence and Role |
|
09:25 AM - 09:45 AM |
Debate: EndoAVF is Done vs Surgical Access Deserts |
|
09:45 AM - 10:05 AM |
Break |
|
AV GRAFT |
|
|
10:05 AM - 10:17 AM |
AV Graft Materials and Configurations Speaker: Jeffrey Lawson, MD, PhD |
|
10:17 AM - 10:29 AM |
HeRO Graft - Pros and Cons |
|
10:29 AM - 10:35 AM |
Potential pitfalls of AV grafts. |
|
10:35 AM - 10:41 AM |
M&M Case |
|
MANAGEMENT OF ACCESS COMPLICATIONS |
|
|
10:41 AM - 10:53 AM |
Management of HAIDI: Which Therapy in Which Stage? |
|
10:53 AM - 11:05 AM |
Preventing HAIDI (Hemodialysis Access Induced Distal Ischemia) |
|
11:05 AM - 11:25 AM |
Break |
|
11:25 AM - 11:37 AM |
High Flow Access Management: Surgical Speaker: John Ross, MD |
|
11:37 AM - 11:49 AM |
High Flow Access Management: Endovascular |
|
11:49 AM - 12:01 PM |
Surgical and Endovascular Managemet of Aneurysms in AVF's |
|
12:01 PM - 12:13 PM |
AV Graft Pseudoaneurysms Treatment Options |
|
12:13 PM - 12:43 PM |
The Henry Keynote Lecture |
|
12:43 PM - 01:43 PM |
Lunch |
|
AV ACCESS MAINTENANCE |
|
|
01:43 PM - 01:55 PM |
Access Surveillance - Optimal Methods |
|
01:55 PM - 02:07 PM |
Biology of Intimal Hyperplasia and Strategies for Prevention |
|
02:07 PM - 02:19 PM |
Covered Stents at the Venous Anastomosis: First Line or Last Line? Speaker: Dheeraj Rajan, MD, FRCPC, FSIR, FACR |
|
02:19 PM - 02:31 PM |
Drug-Coated Balloons - Most Recent Data |
|
02:31 PM - 02:43 PM |
Central Venous Stenosis - When to Treat and How? Update presentation on the best practices to treat central venous stenosis. Learning Objectives
|
|
02:43 PM - 02:55 PM |
Bare vs Covered Stents for Central Veins: What to Use? A review of when to use bare stents, and when to use covered stents for Thoracic Central Vein Obstruction (TCVO) in dialysis patients. Learning Objectives
|
|
02:55 PM - 03:15 PM |
Debate: Venous Anastomosis Stenosis: POBA, DCB, Stent, Stent Graft, Revise? |
|
03:15 PM - 03:35 PM |
Break |
|
03:35 PM - 03:47 PM |
Stent Venous Anastomosis - Consult with Vascular Surgeon or Just Do It? |
|
03:47 PM - 03:59 PM |
Stent vs HeRO for Arm Swelling Due to Central Stenosis |
|
03:59 PM - 04:05 PM |
Declotting AV Grafts: How I Do It (Vascular Surgeon) |
|
04:05 PM - 04:11 PM |
Declotting AV Grafts: How I Do It (Interventional Nephrologist) |
|
04:11 PM - 04:17 PM |
Declotting AV Grafts: How I Do It (Interventional Radiologist) |
|
04:17 PM - 04:29 PM |
Impact of Hypotension on AV Access |
|
04:29 PM - 04:41 PM |
Post Transplant Access Management: Keep or Ligate? |
|
04:41 PM - 05:01 PM |
Break |
|
NEW TECHNOLOGY |
|
|
05:01 PM - 05:07 PM |
Xeltis |
|
05:07 PM - 05:13 PM |
New Technology 2 |
|
05:13 PM - 05:19 PM |
New Technology 3 |
|
05:19 PM - 05:25 PM |
New Technology 4 |
|
05:25 PM - 05:31 PM |
New Technology 5 |
|
05:31 PM - 05:37 PM |
New Technology 6 |
|
FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2026 |
|
|---|---|
|
07:00 AM - 08:00 AM |
Breakfast |
|
PERITONEAL DIALYSIS |
|
|
08:00 AM - 08:12 AM |
Patient Considerations for PD: Pros and Cons vs HD |
|
08:12 AM - 08:18 AM |
How I Do It : PD Catheter Insertion (Surgery) |
|
08:18 AM - 08:24 AM |
How I Do It : PD Catheter Insertion (Interventional Nephrology) |
|
08:24 AM - 08:30 AM |
How I Do It : PD Catheter Insertion (Interventional Radiology) |
|
08:30 AM - 08:50 AM |
Debate: Who Should be First Line for PD Catheter Insertion? |
|
08:50 AM - 09:02 AM |
Management of PD Catheter Dysfunction Peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter dysfunction remains a primary driver of technique failure. This session explores the clinical complexities of catheter dysfunction. Participants will evaluate a staged management algorithm, beginning with conservative medical therapies and advancing to more invasive therapies including fluoroscopic catheter wire manipulation, catheter reposition and catheter exchange. Learning Objectives
|
|
09:02 AM - 09:22 AM |
Debate: Fistula First or PD Catheter First? |
|
09:22 AM - 09:42 AM |
Break |
|
HEMODIALYSIS CVC's |
|
|
09:42 AM - 09:54 AM |
Femoral TDC's: Always Bad? |
|
09:54 AM - 10:06 AM |
When the IJ's are Gone: Where to Go? |
|
10:06 AM - 10:18 AM |
Catheter Locks, Dressings, and Coatings: What Works? |
|
10:18 AM - 10:30 AM |
Avoiding IV's and PICC Lines in CKD Patients: HOW?? To improve long-term outcomes for patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), we must implement a strict vein preservation protocol. This policy mandates a formal consultation with a vascular access team before any central or peripheral access is placed in patients with CKD stage 3-5. by requiring consultation this team can evaluate these patients and identify the most appropriate access for this patient. Learning Objectives
|
|
MISC AV ACCESS TOPICS |
|
|
10:30 AM - 10:42 AM |
Myth or Reality: Axillary Lymph Node Dissections - Impactful on Access? |
|
10:42 AM - 10:54 AM |
Nerve Blocks for Access Creation and Maintenance |
|
10:54 AM - 11:06 AM |
Blood Pump Speed and Fistula/Graft Survival |
|
11:06 AM - 11:18 AM |
AI and Robotics in Dialysis Vascular Access: Future is Now |
|
11:18 AM - 11:30 AM |
Frailty and Multi-Morbidity |
|
11:30 AM - 11:42 AM |
ESKD Life Plan and Access Plan: Surgery Perspective vs Practice Bldg |
|
11:42 AM - 11:54 AM |
Access for Morbid Obesity |
|
11:54 AM - 12:06 PM |
Flow Volume Measurements |
|
12:06 PM - 12:18 PM |
TBD |
|
12:18 PM - 12:30 PM |
TBD |
|
12:30 PM - 01:30 PM |
Lunch |
|
TOP ABSTRACTS |
|
|
01:30 PM - 01:38 PM |
Abstract 1 |
|
01:38 PM - 01:46 PM |
Abstract 2 |
|
01:46 PM - 01:54 PM |
Abstract 3 |
|
01:54 PM - 02:02 PM |
Abstract 4 |
|
02:02 PM - 02:10 PM |
Abstract 5 |
|
INTERNATIONAL FORUM |
|
|
02:10 PM - 03:25 PM |
Dialysis Controversies Across the Continents |
|
03:25 PM - 03:30 PM |
Closing Remarks |