Vital Access

About Vital Access

Vital Access Corp. was a development-stage medical device company established in 2006 and headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. The company, formerly operating under the name IVIT, was founded by Dr. Duane Blatter, who also served as its Chief Medical Officer. The firm focused on creating surgical and interventional technologies to enhance vascular access for patients undergoing hemodialysis for kidney failure.

The company's principal product was the VWING™ Vascular Needle Guide, a patented, surgically implanted titanium device. It was designed to provide a consistent and easily palpable target for needle insertion into arteriovenous fistulas (AVF), which are often difficult to access, especially in obese patients. The VWING guide is placed subcutaneously and attached to the fistula wall, facilitating repeated, reliable access through a single puncture site using a 'buttonhole' cannulation technique. This approach was shown to reduce complications and improve the long-term durability of the fistula. The device received FDA 510(k) clearance in 2013, supported by clinical evidence from the multi-center SAVE study, which demonstrated its safety and effectiveness in converting previously unusable fistulas into reliable access points.

Vital Access Corp. operated in the surgical devices market, catering to vascular surgeons and nephrologists treating patients with end-stage renal disease. Its business model centered on the development and commercialization of its proprietary vascular access technologies. The company successfully raised capital to fund its operations and global expansion efforts, securing a significant $10 million credit facility from healthcare investment firm Deerfield Management in 2015, with Orchestra Medical Ventures as its lead equity investor. In a strategic move to broaden its product portfolio and gain entry into the U.S. market, Singapore-based Advent Access acquired the global manufacturing and commercialization rights for the VWING product line and other key assets from Vital Access on October 4, 2018.