Surgical aspects of the Tenckhoff peritoneal dialysis catheter. A 7 year experience

The experience with CAPD using the Tenckhoff catheter in 115 patients over a 7 year period has been reviewed. The general indications for CAPD in the patient with chronic renal failure are the mental and physical ability of the patient or his relatives to perform CAPD. In our series, diabetes mellitus has been a relative indication for CAPD, because diabetic patients often have vascular disease severe enough to make long-term hemodialysis difficult. The general contraindications are abdominal problems such as hernias, abdominal wall infections, inflammatory bowel disease, adhesions, and gastrointestinal stomas. Other contraindications are lumbar disk disease and respiratory insufficiency. The surgical principles of catheter insertion have been described. Complications associated with the Tenckhoff catheter were either mechanical (intraabdominal organ injury, incisional hernia, catheter leakage, catheter occlusion, or catheter dislodgement), or infectious (peritonitis or abdominal wall infection). The single most common organism isolated from effluent dialysate in 65 patients with peritonitis was Staphylococcus epidermidis in six patients (9.2 percent), and in 20 patients (30.8 percent), no organism could be isolated. For those patients who had peritonitis, the average frequency was at 8.9 months of CAPD. There were only three deaths (3 percent) directly related to the Tenckhoff catheter and these were due to peritonitis and sepsis. Only 22 (19 percent) of the 115 patients in this series had to discontinue CAPD because of its ineffectiveness or the patient's or relative's inability to perform CAPD.     

Chronic dialysis in the infant less than 1 year of age

Dialysis in the infant carries a mortality rate of 16%. Institution of dialysis may be the result of adequate nutritional intake, but avoidance of nutritional intake should never be seen as a way to prevent dialysis. Increased caloric intake, usually via enteral feeding tubes, is needed for optimal growth in the infant with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in order to attain adequate nutrition with resulting good growth. Renal formulae may be constituted as dilute (as in thepolyuric infant) or concentrated (as in theanuric infant) to fit the infants needs. Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is the usual mode of renal replacement therapy (97%), with access via a surgically placed cuffed catheter with attention to the placement of the exit site in order to avoid fecal or urinary contamination. PD volumes of 30–40 ml/kg per pass or 800–1,200 ml/m² per pass usually result in dialysis adequacy. Additional dietary sodium (3–5 mEq/kg per day) and protein (3–4 g/kg per day) are needed, due to sodium and protein losses in the dialysate. Protein losses are associated with significant infectious morbidity and nonresponsiveness to routine immunizations. Hemodialysis (HD) can be performed either as single- or dual-needle access that have minimal dead space (less then 2 ml) and recirculation rate (less then 5%). Attnetion to extracorporeal blood volume (<10% of=" intravascular=" volume),=" blood=" flow=" rates=" (3–5=" ml/kg=" per=" min),=" heparinization=" (activated=" clotting=" times),=" ultrafiltration=" (ultrafiltration=" monitor),=" and=" temperature=" control=" is=" imperative=" during=" each=" treatment.=" because=" infants'=" nutrition=" is=" mostly=" fluid,=" hd=" may=" be=" needed=" 4–6=" days/week=" (especially=" in=" the=" oligoanuric=" infant)=" to=" avoid=" excessive=" volume=" overload=" between=" treatments.=" at=" the=" end=" of=" the=" treatment=" a=" slow=" blood=" return=" with=" minimal=" saline=" rinse=" is=" needed=" to=" avoid=" hemodynamic=" compromise.=" infant=" dialysis,=" although=" technically=" challenging=" with=" a=" significant=" morbidity=" and=" mortality=" rate,=" can=" be=" safely=" carried=" out=" in=" the=" infant=" with=" esrd=" but=" requires=" infant-specific=" equipment=" and=" trained=">     

Mechanical complications in chronic peritoneal dialysis.

BACKGROUND: A significant number of complications and catheter failures in CAPD are due to mechanical problems. METHODS: We reviewed 105 consecutive peritoneal dialysis catheters, generally implanted by blind insertion technique, in 80 patients over an 11-year period. 137 mechanical problems were collected and classified according to their etiologies into the following: those related to the insertion procedure (n = 21; 15.3%), those related to the presence of dialysate in peritoneum (n = 33; 24%), catheter-related malfunction (n = 28; 20.4%), secondaries to abdominal events (n = 3; 0.2%), catheter accidents (n = 37; 26.2%) and others (n = 15; 11%). RESULTS: Removal of the catheter was performed in 86 of 105 catheters: mechanical complications accounted for 19 of them (21.8%) and 9 patients were definitively transferred to hemodialysis due to this problem. The most frequent complications were catheter accidents, although only a few of them required catheter removal. CONCLUSION: The majority of the catheter removals were due to catheter displacement (31.5%), this problem being more frequent in straight than in Swan Neck catheters.     

Serum albumin at 1 year after peritoneal dialysis predicts long-term outcomes on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis

BackgroundHypoalbuminemia at baseline is a powerful predictor of long-term outcomes in peritoneal dialysis patients. However, the levels of serum albumin are dynamically changed during PD. The present study investigated whether the improvement of hypoalbuminemia during PD can affect the patients’ outcomes.Methods436 consecutive incidents continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients were involved in this study. Demographic, hematologic, biochemical, and dialysis-related data at baseline as well as 1 year after PD were collected. All patients were followed for at least 1 year for mortality.ResultsAmong the 436 patients, the mean age was 48.44 ± 14.98 years, with 58.26% males and 18.12% prevalence of diabetes. The mean follow-up time was 48.25 ± 24.05 months. During the follow-up period, a total of 68 patients died. Serum albumin was 34.35 ± 5.65 g/L at baseline, which increased to 37.39 ± 5.05 g/L at 1 year after PD. Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that sex, age, BMI, diabetic nephropathy, as well as albumin at baseline were independently associated with albumin at 1 year. Every 1 year of age rise would result in a 3.9% increase in the risk of mortality (HR = 1.039, 95%CI 1.016–1.061, p = 0.001). Every 1 g/L increase in albumin at 1 year after PD confers an 8.7% decrease in the risk of mortality (HR = 0.913, 95%CI 0.856–0.973, p = 0.005).ConclusionThe level of serum albumin was increased in the first year of PD. Serum albumin after 1 year of PD predicted mortality in peritoneal dialysis.     

Surgical salvage of peritoneal dialysis catheters from chronic exit-site and tunnel infections

BACKGROUND: Chronic exit-site and tunnel infections of the peritoneal dialysis catheter are significant causes of catheter loss. Surgical salvage procedures that can effectively resolve the infection and preserve dialysis are of major importance. METHODS: Thirteen patients with chronic exit-site and tunnel infections underwent surgical salvage consisting of unroofing the tunnel tract and shaving of the superficial catheter cuff. A control group of 138 patients implanted during the same time span as the study group was used for infection rate and survival comparisons. RESULTS: The salvage procedure cured the infection in all patients. No dialysate leaks occurred. Peritoneal dialysis was not interrupted. Surgical salvage provided successful long-term peritoneal dialysis that was equivalent to the cohort dialysis population. CONCLUSION: Surgical salvage by unroofing/cuff shaving is an effective long-term solution for chronic exit-site and tunnel infection.     

Surgical complications of peritoneal dialysis catheters

Peritoneal catheters are relatively easy to insert but are associated with specific complications. Proper placement and appropriate management reduce the problems associated with these complications, reduce morbidity and mortality, and increase catheter survival. On the basis of our findings the following procedures are recommended: placement of the catheter in the operating room, use of a paramedian incision, closure of the fascia with a running nonabsorbable suture, use of small exchanges initially to allow for healing, cessation of peritoneal dialysis for a limited time when leaks occur, performance of omentectomy when necessary, repair of abdominal wall hernias preoperatively or whenever they occur, maintenance of meticulous asepsis, removal of the catheter after fungal peritonitis or multiple episodes of peritonitis with the same organism, and early operation if there is any doubt of an intraabdominal catastrophe.     

Multidirectional approach to study peritoneal dialysis fluid biocompatibility in a chronic peritoneal dialysis model in the rat.

BACKGROUND: Peritoneal dialysis causes the functional and morphological changes in the peritoneum that result from the bioincompatibility of dialysis solutions. We present a model of chronic peritoneal dialysis in the rat that can be used for testing the biocompatibility of dialysis fluids. Methods and Results. Long-term exposure of the peritoneum to dialysis solutions can be performed in rats with implanted peritoneal catheters. Sampling of the dialysate allows the evaluation of intraperitoneal inflammation by examining cell differential and dialysate cytokine levels. Peritoneal permeability can be evaluated at designed time intervals with the peritoneal equilibration test (PET). At the end of dialysis, peritoneal histology is studied with light and electron microscopy. CONCLUSIONS: Such a multidirectional approach is an effective way to test biocompatibility of dialysis solutions.     

Fatigue in chronic peritoneal dialysis patients

Fatigue is a common complaint in long termdialysis patients that may influence theirquality of life. The present study was carriedout in order to evaluate the prevalence andcourse of fatigue in a group of chronic PDpatients and to find the possible factor(s)related to its development. We retrospectivelyreviewed 100 charts of the patients previouslyon PD. The presence or absence of fatigue inthe 1st and last clinic visits and the 1st and2nd changes in fatigue state were studiedaccording to the monthly clinical records ofthe primary nurses. Data regarding dialysatevolume, urine volume, weekly erythropoietin(EPO) dose, hemoglobin, hematocrit, blood urea,serum creatinine, residual renal creatinine andurea clearances, dialysate to peritonealcreatinine ratio (D/P Cr), total weekly Kt/Vand total creatinine clearance/l.73 m² bodysurface area (TCrCl) were collected. Fifty-fivepatients were male and 45 female. The mean ageat the 1st clinic visit was 61.3 ± 16 years.At the 1st visit 55 patients had fatigue and 45did not. In 32 of the 55 patients fatiguedisappeared after a mean duration of 7.9 ± 8.4months and in 31 of the 45 patients fatigueappeared after a mean duration of 8 ± 6.8months. So at the last visit the frequency offatigue increased significantly from 55% to67% (p < 0.001). In patients with fatigue themean age and female percentage were higher(64.2 ± 14.1 vs 57.8 ± 17.6, p = 0.05 and 1.2vs 0.5, p < 0.05 respectively), mean hemoglobinconcentration was lower (104.4 ± 14.7 vs110.6 ± 14.2 g/L, p < 0.04) and mean EPO dosewas higher (6379.6 ± 7142 vs 3395.4 ± 4337.8units/week, p < 0.02) at the 1st clinic visit.EPO dose was also higher in patients withfatigue at the last visit (8253.7 ± 10317.3units/wk vs 4736.4 ± 5432.5, p < 0.03). Nocorrelation was found between dialysis adequacyaccording to either weekly Kt/V or TCrCl andnutritional state according to nPCR andfrequency of fatigue. We conclude that fatigueis a common symptom in PD patients and it'sprevalence increases over time. Anemia seemsto be the most important factor associated withfatigue. Dialysis adequacy and nutritionalstate did not show any correlation with thefrequency of fatigue in our study.     

Surgical aspects of the implantation of catheters for acute peritoneal dialysis in premature, newborn and young infants

Ten years experience with acute peritoneal dialysis in 39 preterm-, newborn and small infants shows advantage and low risk of surgically implanted single dacron cuffed silicone catheters compared to trocar catheters.     

Pregnancy in patients on chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.

Both conception and successful completion of pregnancy are rare occurrences in female patients on chronic renal replacement therapy. Only a handful of successful pregnancies and deliveries have been reported in patients receiving hemodialysis (HD). Even less common are reports of successful pregnancy and delivery in patients receiving chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). Among the more common causes of fetal loss are abruptio placentae and other causes of spontaneous miscarriage. We report here three cases of pregnancy in patients on CAPD; two of these pregnancies progressed successfully to spontaneous delivery, while the third terminated during an episode of acute peritonitis. Furthermore, we have reviewed the literature concerning the outcome of pregnancy in the dialysis population on CAPD.     

Coagulation abnormalities in chronic peritoneal dialysis

To determine whether children treated with chronic peritoneal dialysis have a hypercoagulable state, various coagulation and fibrinolytic factor concentrations or activities were measured in 17 children undergoing chronic peritoneal dialysis. The patients had significantly increased activities of factors VII and VIII and increased concentrations of von Willebrand factor (vWF), fibrinogen, factor XIIIA and factor XIIIS compared to reference values (P<0.001 in each case). The activated partial thromboplastin time was prolonged (P<0.001) and the thrombin clotting time was decreased (P<0.05) in these children. The prothrombin time and activities of factors XII, XI, IX, X, V and II were not significantly different from control values. Protein C concentrations were similar to normal, but antithrombin III concentrations were increased (P<0.05). Within the fibrinolytic pathway, decreased concentrations of plasminogen were found (P<0.001) and the concentrations of alpha-2-antiplasmin were increased (P<0.001). The plasma albumin concentration was below 33 g/l in 13 of the 17 children. The duration of treatment with peritoneal dialysis was directly correlated with vWF concentrations (P<0.001) and inversely correlated with factor VII concentrations (P<0.01). Of these patients 2 have since had clinical thrombotic episodes. The coagulation abnormalities found may have a role in the occurrence of thrombosis complicating renal transplantation.     

Hyperkalemia in chronic peritoneal dialysis patients

Background. Chronic peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients often develop hypokalemia but less commonly hyperkalemia.Methods. We explored incidence and mechanisms of hyperkalemia in 779 serum samples from 33 patients on PD for 1 − 59 months. Normal serum potassium concentration was defined as 3.5 − 5.1 meq/l.Results. Mean monthly serum potassium concentrations were normal (except for 1 month), but we observed hypokalemia (<3.5 meq/l) in 5% and hyperkalemia (>5.1 meq/l) in 14% of 779 serum samples. Incidence of hyperkalemia did not change over time on PD: Year 1 (15%), Year 2 (11%), Year 3 (19%), Years 4–5 (22%). Hyperkalemia was mostly modest but occasionally extreme [5.2–5.4 meq/l (55%), 5.5–5.7 meq/l (21%), 5.8–6.0 meq/l (10%), >6.0 meq/l (14%)]. Of 31 patients (2 excluded due to brief PD time), 39% displayed hyperkalemia only, 23% displayed hypokalemia only, and the remainder (38%) displayed both or neither. Comparing hypokalemia-only with hyperkalemia-only patients, we found no difference in potassium chloride therapy, medications interrupting the renin-angiotensin system, small-molecule transport status, and renal urea clearance. We compared biochemical parameters from the hypokalemic and hyperkalemic serum samples and observed lower bicarbonate concentrations, higher creatinine concentrations, and higher urea nitrogen concentrations in the hyperkalemic samples (p < 0.001 for each), without difference in glucose concentrations.Conclusion. We observed hyperkalemia 3 times as frequently as hypokalemia in our PD population. High-potassium diet, PD noncompliance, increased muscle mass, potassium shifts, and/or the daytime period without PD might contribute to hyperkalemia.     

Surgical complications of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis

Surgical experience with 260 consecutive patients with chronic renal failure receiving continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) at one medical center from 1980 to 1989 is reviewed. Patients received CAPD for a mean of 24.2 months (range: 3 days to 91 months). Catheter longevity consistently improved in all but 1 year from 1984 to 1989, as did exit-site and tunnel infections. Of 311 catheters inserted, 151 (49%) required removal, of which 111 (74%) were attributed to peritonitis. Cumulative patient survival was 80%, 60%, and 53% at 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively. Diabetic patients had statistically significant lower survival rates. Additional complications including catheter leakage, catheter malposition, catheter obstruction, and abdominal wall hernias were negligible. Although CAPD is not free from serious complications, our data show remarkable improvement since 1980 in catheter longevity, hospital stay, and infection rates.     

Surgical considerations of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis

The surgical considerations pertaining to 173 continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis catheters were reviewed in 140 patients from 1979 through 1983. All catheters were inserted in the operating suite by an open technique. Local anesthesia was used in the majority of patients (59%). Catheter peritonitis was the most frequent complication, 228 episodes/2407 patient months. Twenty-three percent of the patients accounted for 51% of catheter-related peritonitis. Sixteen catheters were removed because of an inability to clear the infection. Intra-abdominal catastrophes were noted in four patients and differentiation from continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis peritonitis was based on serial examinations, bacteriologic cultures, and/or a progressive increase in free abdominal air. Surgically-related catheter complications were designated either early (less than 1 month) or late (greater than 1 month) in relation to catheter placement. Frequent early complications were mechanical flow problems and dialysate leaks. Five of 11 mechanical flow difficulties required catheter replacement while none of the dialysate leaks required surgical intervention, and all healed spontaneously. Common late complications included 35 tunnel infections, 23 of which were associated with peritonitis. Nine of these catheters (25%) were removed. Cuff extrusion was also associated with a high incidence (83%) of catheter attrition. Thirty-six patients underwent renal transplantation and in no instance did the catheter increase patient or renal allograft morbidity rates.     

Changes in common carotid artery intima-media thickness over 1 year in patients on peritoneal dialysis.

BACKGROUND: Accelerated atherosclerosis and vascular calcifications increase cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients on dialysis. Common carotid artery (CCA) intima-media thickness (IMT) is considered useful for imaging atherosclerosis non-invasively. Since chronic inflammation may accelerate atherosclerosis in end-stage renal disease patients, the aim of this 1 year study was to assess changes in CCA-IMT in stable peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients, and to search for possible associations between these changes and selected cytokines, acute phase proteins and other risk factors of atherosclerosis. METHODS: Of the original cohort of 61 stable patients on PD-28 female, 33 male; mean age 50.4+/-13.6 years; dialyse for a median of 17.5 months at inclusion (range 1-96 months)-47 patients survived the 1 year period on PD. CCA-IMT was assessed at baseline and after 12 months. Pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNFalpha), acute phase proteins (CRP, fibrinogen), calcium-phosphate balance and lipid profile were assessed at baseline and after 6 and 12 months. Anthropometric parameters (age, weight, BMI, waist-to-hip ratio) were measured at baseline. RESULTS: The mean CCA-IMT at baseline, 0.66+/- 0.19 mm, increased by a mean of 0.098+/-0.17 to 0.76+/-0.21 mm (P<0.001) in 1 year. In 14 patients (29.8%) at least one plaque was found in the CCAs examined. At the end of follow-up: 28 patients (59.6%) had increases in CCA-IMT (from 0.63+/-0.2 to 0.83+/- 0.21 mm; P = 0.03), and 19 (40.4%) remained stable or even showed slight, but non-significant, decreases of CCA-IMT (from 0.72+/-0.17 to 0.66+/-0.17 mm, P = NS). The 'progressors' had significantly higher initial BMI (P<0.05), and mean concentrations of calcium (P = 0.005), IL-6 (P = 0.05), TNFalpha (P = 0.05), CRP (P = 0.005) and lower HDL-cholesterol than 'non-progressors'. In univariate analysis, DeltaCCA-IMT correlated positively with age (R = 0.32, P = 0.03), BMI (R = 0.29, P = 0.05) and mean concentrations of CRP (R = 0.37, P = 0.01), TNFalpha (0.52, P = 0.0002), but inversely with HDL-cholesterol (R = -0.37, P = 0.01). In multiple regression analysis, however, only age appeared to be independently associated with increase in CCA-IMT (beta = 0.37, P<0.01; R(2) for the model 0.14). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest a possible role of non-specific inflammation in the progression of atherosclerosis in patients treated with PD, in addition to age.     

Consequences of chronic inflammation in peritoneal dialysis

The mortality of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, including those receiving long-term peritoneal dialysis (PD), has remained unacceptably high owing to the prevalence of cardiovascular disease. It is well recognized that both traditional Framingham risk factors and kidney disease-related risk factors may contribute to the high prevalence of cardiovascular disease in these patients. Of the different risk factors, chronic inflammation frequently is observed in long-term PD patients. The causes of inflammation are usually complex and multifactorial, involving both dialysis-related and dialysis-unrelated factors. Inflammation is strongly associated with cardiovascular disease and malnutrition, and has been shown consistently to be a powerful predictor of mortality and adverse cardiovascular outcomes in PD patients. In this article we review the prevalence and potential causes of chronic inflammation in PD patients. More importantly, we provide emerging evidence that shows the serious consequences of chronic systemic inflammation in PD patients and the important contribution of inflammation to adverse clinical outcomes.