Without treatment to remove the body's waste products from their blood stream, all would be condemned to die within a short time - typically days to weeks. Of these, approximately 200,000 receive hemodialysis treatments, typically three times per week. In hemodialysis, blood is removed from the bloodstream, passed through a filtration system to remove the toxins, and returned to the body. A typical hemodialysis treatment lasts three to four hours and is most commonly performed at an outpatient dialysis center, although some patients receive dialysis in hospital and others, at home.

Hemodialysis depends on the availability of an enlarged blood vessel with high blood flow (at least 4 mm in diameter with up to 1000 cc per minute) so that arterial blood can be withdrawn through a large bore needle at 200 to 500 cc per minute and returned to the vein after membrane exchange. The most commonly  used technique of venous access is to insert a subcutaneous prosthetic graft (most commonly Goretex™) in either the forearm or upper arm, connecting a suitable artery to a nearby vein. The graft is typically 6 mm in diameter and 8 to 12 inches in total length.