What Flow Forward Medical does

Flow Forward Medical was a privately held, Kansas City-based medical device company founded in 2014 that developed a novel approach to vascular access preparation for hemodialysis patients. Its core technology, the Arteriovenous Fistula Eligibility (AFE) System, was a small, temporary, external blood pump that used rapid, non-pulsatile blood flow to dilate arm veins over a 7–10 day treatment window, with the aim of making more end-stage renal disease patients eligible for arteriovenous fistula (AVF) creation and improving AVF maturation rates. The company estimated that roughly 35% of U.S. hemodialysis patients are ineligible for AVF due to small vein diameters and that more than 50% of created AVFs fail to mature without additional procedures, framing a large unmet clinical need in a global pool of approximately 2.3 million hemodialysis patients.

The Amplifi Vein Dilation System (as the product was rebranded post-acquisition) consisted of a wearable external blood pump with inflow and outflow catheters incorporating dual access ports that could simultaneously provide hemodialysis during the treatment period, plus a controller with a rechargeable battery that adjusts pump speed as veins dilate. Flow Forward held no commercial revenue, did not sell its products, and was funded through a series of small equity and grant rounds totaling roughly $8.1 million from investors including the Kansas Bioscience Authority, River Valley Investors, Mid-America Angels, and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

In June 2020, Flow Forward Medical was acquired by Artio Medical in a stock-for-stock merger, with Flow Forward merging into and ceasing to exist as an independent entity. The acquisition brought the Amplifi technology into Artio's broader peripheral vascular portfolio alongside Solus, Aneura, and Endura products, sharing vascular surgeon and interventionalist call points. Post-acquisition, clinical investigation has been limited to South America, with the first-in-human Amplifi procedure performed in January 2021 in Asunción, Paraguay. The product remains at the R&D stage, is not commercially available, and has not generated revenue.

Name

Flow Forward Medical

Legal name

Flow Forward Medical, Inc.

Website

https://artiomedical.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Flow Forward Medical is a Kansas City-based medical device developer founded in 2014 that created the Amplifi external blood pump system to dilate arm veins in hemodialysis patients prior to arteriovenous fistula surgery. The company was acquired by Artio Medical in June 2020 and never reached commercialization.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hemodialysis vascular access medical devices

NAICS

Measuring, Dispensing, and Other Pumping Equipment Manufacturing (333914)

SIC

Electromedical & Electrotherapeutic Apparatus (3845)

akta.pro primary industry

Vascular Access Devices (AV Grafts, Catheters, Fistula Accessories) (HLAHAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Vascular Medicine (Peripheral Arterial/Venous Disease) (HLAKABAG)

Keywords

• Hemodialysis vascular access
• Arteriovenous fistula preparation
• Vein dilation device
• Medical device development
• End-stage renal disease care

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel

Core offering

Flow Forward Medical developed a wearable external blood pump system (originally branded the Arteriovenous Fistula Eligibility / AFE System and later renamed the Amplifi Vein Dilation System by acquirer Artio Medical) designed to stimulate arm vein enlargement in hemodialysis patients using rapid, non-pulsatile blood flow. The system is intended for short-term use (7 to 10 days) prior to arteriovenous fistula creation surgery to increase AVF eligibility, reduce AVF maturation failure, and prolong AVF patency.

Product overview

Flow Forward Medical was a medical device company that developed the Arteriovenous Fistula Eligibility (AFE) System, later renamed the Amplifi Vein Dilation System after acquisition by Artio Medical. The core product is a wearable, external blood pump designed to stimulate arm vein enlargement in hemodialysis patients prior to AVF surgery through rapid, non-pulsatile blood flow. The technology aimed to increase eligibility for arteriovenous fistula creation, reduce AVF maturation failure, and prolong AVF patency. Flow Forward Medical was acquired by Artio Medical in June 2020, with the technology now under clinical investigation in South America.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AFE System (Arteriovenous Fistula Eligibility System): A small, temporary, external blood pump system for kidney failure patients that stimulates vein enlargement prior to the creation of vascular access sites for hemodialysis. Later rebranded as the Amplifi Vein Dilation System after acquisition by Artio Medical.

Products and services

• Amplifi™ Vein Dilation System A wearable external blood pump system with inflow and outflow catheters and a rechargeable-battery controller, designed to stimulate arm vein enlargement in hemodialysis patients using rapid, non-pulsatile blood flow for 7 to 10 days prior to arteriovenous fistula (AVF) creation surgery. Intended for vascular surgeons, interventional nephrologists, and dialysis centers treating end-stage renal disease patients, with two access ports that enable hemodialysis during the treatment period and a controller that adjusts pump speed as the vein dilates.

Quantifiable outcome

• An estimated 35% of U.S. hemodialysis patients are ineligible for AVF surgery due to small vein diameters
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Artio MedicalcoreOthers · 8 June 2020Artio Medical acquired Flow Forward Medical through a stock-for-stock merger transaction where Flow Forward merged with and into Artio. The acquisition provided Artio with Flow Forward's venous dilation technology (Amplifi/AFE System), which is highly complementary to Artio's existing peripheral vascular portfolio with significant overlap in physician call points and procedures.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Becton Dickinson (BD): Major medical device incumbent with broad vascular access, dialysis, and peripheral vascular portfolios, including the Ellipsys and WavelinQ percutaneous AVF assets. Highly comparable because BD is the dominant commercial pathway for AVF-related innovation and the natural strategic acquirer or competitor to Artio/Amplifi.
• Medtronic: Large incumbent with peripheral vascular, endovascular, and dialysis catheter product lines that overlap with the vascular access call points Amplifi targets. Comparable as a broad vascular player whose interventional salesforce could commercialize Amplifi if Artio is acquired or partnered.
• Abbott: Broad incumbent in peripheral and endovascular intervention, including diagnostic and therapeutic devices used by vascular surgeons and interventionalists. Comparable as a large strategic player with adjacent vascular access and dialysis-relevant product lines.
• Teleflex: Large vascular access and anesthesia device maker with catheter and infusion products used in dialysis vascular preparation. Comparable as an incumbent whose hemodialysis and peripheral access portfolio overlaps with the Amplifi customer workflow.
• ICU Medical: Vascular access, IV therapy, and infusion pump manufacturer with established sales into dialysis clinics and interventional centers. Comparable as an incumbent whose product portfolio includes catheters, pumps, and accessories overlapping with Amplifi's inflow/outflow catheter and wearable pump design.
• Merit Medical: Incumbent in vascular access catheters, diagnostic and therapeutic devices used by interventional radiologists and vascular surgeons. Comparable because Merit sells through the same peripheral vascular access physician call points that Amplifi would leverage via Artio.

Direct peers

• TVA Medical (acquired by BD): Developer of the WavelinQ percutaneous AVF creation system, now owned by BD. Directly comparable because the WavelinQ device addresses the same root problem (unreliable or unmaturing AVF in hemodialysis patients) that Amplifi aims to mitigate via pre-procedural vein dilation.
• Avenu Medical (acquired by BD): Developer of the Ellipsys percutaneous AVF creation system, now owned by BD. Directly comparable because both technologies target the same patient population (hemodialysis patients with problematic vascular access) and compete for the same interventional nephrology and vascular surgery call points.
• Laminate Medical (VasQ, now Fresenius Medical Care): Makes the VasQ external support device that wraps around the vein at the AVF anastomosis to reduce maturation failure. Directly comparable as an accessory device intended to increase AVF success rates in the same hemodialysis population.

Emerging players

• AngioDynamics: Smaller public medical device company focused on peripheral vascular access and oncology devices, including dialysis catheter technology. Comparable as a peer-segment player competing for the same vascular access procedure volume in dialysis patients.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/flow-forward-medical-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Flow Forward Medical