Simultaneous peritoneal dialysis catheter insertion and removal in catheter-related infections without interruption of peritoneal dialysis

Catheter-related infections result in high patient morbidity, the need for temporary haemodialysis, and high costs. These infections are the main cause of limited technique survival in peritoneal dialysis. We introduced a protocol for the simultaneous peritoneoscopic insertion and removal of peritoneal catheters in patients with catheter-related infections. Peritoneal dialysis was continued the day after surgery using low-volume dwells and a dry abdomen during the daytime. The dialysate leukocyte count had to be below 100/mm³ before exchanging catheters, which was performed under antibiotic therapy based on culture sensitivity. The old catheter was removed after the new catheter had been inserted in the opposite abdominal region. CAPD patients were switched to APD for 1 week, which made prolonged hospitalization necessary. Simultaneous catheter insertion and removal was performed 25 times in 22 patients on CCPD and 15 times in 14 patients on CAPD. In CCPD patients, peritoneal dialysis was restarted after 1.0+0.1 days in 24 cases. One patient had sufficient residual renal function and discontinued CCPD until day 10. In 10 CAPD patients (11 procedures) APD was started 1.3±0.2 days after the procedure with CPD beginning 7.1±0.6 days thereafter. Three CAPD patients preferred haemodialysis and restarted CAPD 10.0±2.1 days after surgery. One patient continued CAPD the day after surgery. In addition to minor complications (e.g. position-dependent outflow problems), dialysate leakage occurred in two patients. Two patients developed peritonitis within the first 30 days after surgery, one of which was procedure related. One patient had severe lower gastrointestinal bleeding 2 weeks after the procedure, which was not related to the catheter replacement. Ultimately, in 38 of 40 procedures the patients could successfully continue peritoneal dialysis. We conclude that simultaneous insertion and removal of a peritoneal dialysis catheter without interruption of peritoneal dialysis is a safe procedure in patients with catheter-related infections.     

Treatment of resistant CAPD peritonitis by temporary discontinuation of peritoneal dialysis

Resistant continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) peritonitis (recurrent or persistent infection) is traditionally treated by removal of the CAPD catheter and a period off peritoneal dialysis. In a pilot study we have treated 8 patients with recurrent staphylococcal peritonitis and 3 patients with persistent staphylococcal peritonitis by stopping CAPD for a 2-week period, the CAPD catheter being left in-situ. All 8 patients with recurrent peritonitis and 2 of the 3 patients with persistent peritonitis had resolution of their infection; the third patient required catheter removal to clear the infection. There were no acute problems associated with stopping CAPD, and there was no evidence of loss of peritoneal filtration capacity on restarting CAPD. This novel approach to the treatment of resistant CAPD peritonitis should reduce the number of CAPD catheters replaced and therefore diminish the risks and inconvenience to patients that such replacements entail.     

Importance of dialysis adequacy in mortality and morbidity of chinese CAPD patients

BACKGROUND: In continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), the impact of dialysis adequacy on patient outcome is well established in Caucasian patients but is less clear in Asian patients. Recent evidence suggests that Asian dialysis patients enjoy better overall survival. We hypothesize that dialysis adequacy may be less important in determining outcome for this ethnic group. METHODS: We performed a single-center prospective observational study. From September 1995, we enrolled 150 existing and 120 new CAPD patients. They were followed for up to three years. We monitored dialysis adequacy and nutritional indices, including Kt/V, weekly creatinine clearance (CCr), residual glomerular filtration rate (GFR), normalized protein catabolic rate (NPCR), percentage of lean body mass (%LBM), and plasma albumin level. Clinical outcomes included mortality, technique failure, and duration of hospitalization. RESULTS: The duration of study follow-up was 22.1 +/- 12.3 months. In our study population, 136 were male. Seventy were diabetic (25.9%), and 212 were treated with 6 L exchanges per day (78.5%). The body weight was 59.3 +/- 9.4 kg. Baseline total Kt/V was 1.78 +/- 0.41, peritoneal Kt/V 1.48 +/- 0.36, and median residual GFR 0.98 mL/min (range 0 to 7.45). Two-year patient survival was 83.0%, and technique survival was 72.8%. Multivariate analysis showed that the duration of dialysis, diabetes, %LBM, index of dialysis adequacy (Kt/V or CCr), residual GFR, and requirement of a helper for CAPD exchanges were independent factors of patient survival; serum albumin, adequacy index (Kt/V or CCr), and requirement of a helper were independent factors of technique survival. Duration of dialysis, body weight, requirement of helper, cardiovascular disease, HBsAg carrier, serum albumin, and CCr had independent effects on hospitalization. The peritoneal component of Kt/V or CCr had no independent effect on any outcome parameter. When the prevalent and new CAPD cases were analyzed separately, Kt/V predicted survival only for new CAPD cases. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that dialysis adequacy has significant impact on outcome of Asian CAPD patients. Although we have excellent medium-term patient and technique survival, this favorable outcome should not prevent health care workers from providing adequate dialysis to Asian patients. The reason of discrepancy in outcome between Asian and Caucasian dialysis patients requires further study.     

The role of APD in the management of pediatric patients: a report of the North American Pediatric Renal Transplant Cooperative Study

In an attempt to delineate the role of automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) in the management of the pediatric patient with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), the North American Pediatric Renal Transplant Cooperative Study (NAPRTCS) dialysis registry database was queried concerning the incidence and outcome of APD compared to those enrolled who were undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). During the 10-year period from January 1, 1992 to January 1, 2002, 65% of the 4150 index dialysis patients enrolled in NAPRTCS underwent peritoneal dialysis (PD). APD was the dialysis modality of 69% of those choosing PD, indicating that APD was the primary dialysis modality for children during this time interval. This initial comparison of APD and CAPD from the NAPRTCS dialysis registry database indicated that there was a higher percentage of younger patients choosing APD, the time to transplantation was shorter for the CAPD patient, and the incidence and time to first peritonitis episode was significantly ( p  = 0.006) better in the APD population. There was no difference in the other parameters evaluated between the APD and CAPD patients. These data indicate the significant role of APD in the management of pediatric patients with ESRD, especially in infants, who frequently require an extended period of dialysis prior to reaching the eligibility criteria for transplantation.     

Initial Experiences with Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis

Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) has been initiated on 51 patients: 27 females (mean age -- 43.9 years) and 24 males (mean age -- 46.4 years). This group has been observed for a total of 1420 patient weeks of treatment (27.3 patient years). Thirty-six episodes of peritonitis have been noted among 19 patients. The overall incidence was one episode per 39.4 patient weeks. Recurrent episodes of peritonitis resulted in discontinuation of CAPD in five (9.8%) of the patients. Three (5.9%) of the patients were unable to continue with CAPD because of its inability to control extracellular fluid balance. In the patients who transferred from intermittent peritoneal dialysis to CAPD, there was a 4.5 mg/dl drop in serum creatinine and a 34 mg/dl drop in mean BUN values. There was a rise of approximately 2 gm in the hemoglobin levels of this group of patients. If the problem of peritonitis can be solved, CAPD will become the dialytic treatment of choice for the majority of patients with end-stage renal disease.     

Mycobacterium avium complex-associated peritonitis in a patient on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis

Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD)-associated peritonitis remains a major cause of morbidity in the dialysis population. Typically, infection is caused by gram positive bacteria and treated with empiric antibiotics. A subset of patients, however, develop culture negative peritonitis and may be infected with fungal or mycobacterial organisms. We present a case of Mycobacterium avium complex-associated peritonitis in a HIV negative patient on CAPD. Our patient suffered from technique failure and died from unrelated causes before treatment could be completed.     

Patient survival and causes of death on hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis – single-center study

Survival and causes of death in children dialyzed in a single center were analyzed. During the last 12 years a chronic dialysis program was introduced in 146 children in our center and 125 of them, eligible for observation, were included in this analysis; 58 patients were on hemodialysis (HD) and 67 on peritoneal dialysis [continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis/automated peritoneal dialysis (CAPD/APD)]. Mean age at the start of dialysis was 13.1 years in HD and 9.8 years in CAPD/APD patients. Overall, 16 patients died (12.5%); 6 (10.3%) on HD and 10 (14.9%) on CAPD/APD; 4 HD patients died of hemorrhagic stroke and 2 were killed in road traffic accidents. Of 10 CAPD/APD patients, 7 died of heart failure, ischemic stroke, and/or disseminated thromboembolic disease. Another was killed in a road traffic accident and 2 died during the course of severe infections. The 1-year patient survival rate was 96.6% in HD patients and 95% in CAPD/APD patients, 2-year survival 94% and 93% and 5-year survival 91% and 78%, respectively (P=0.2, NS). In conclusion, the survival rate for HD and CAPD patients is similar, although after 2 years of therapy, it is lower in CAPD patients. The main causes of death are cardiovascular. However, in CAPD/APD patients, heart failure with low cardiac output and thromboembolic complications are major causes of death, and in HD patients the main cause is hemorrhagic stroke. Received: 21 February 2001 / Revised: 31 July 2001 / Accepted: 2 August 2001     

Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis: ten years at one facility

A review of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) performed at one facility over a period of 10 years showed that age and type II diabetes mellitus were associated with the worst technique survival. The median survival of patients entering CAPD was not significantly different when the etiology of renal failure was chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN; 27 months), chronic interstitial nephritis (CIN; 21 months), diabetes mellitus type I (21 months), or hypertension (16 months). Patients with diabetes mellitus type II had significantly (P less than 0.05) worse survival (11 months). A patient remaining on CAPD 6 months had a 55% to 60% chance of remaining on therapy at 2 years and a 47% chance at the end of 3 years, whereas a patient with diabetes mellitus type II had a 34% conditional probability of remaining on dialysis at 2 years and 18% at 3 years. Sex, race, and educational achievement were not important determinants of dialysis technique survival. Studies are indicated to identify predictors of a poor dialysis experience.     

多囊肾病患者行连续性不卧床腹膜透析及血液透析的疗效比较

目的 对比进入终末期肾病（ESRD）的多囊肾病（PKD）患者行连续性不卧床腹膜透析（CAPD）及血液透析（HD）治疗的临床疗效。 方法 回顾性分析2001年1月至2007年12月期间在我科行透析治疗3个月以上的PKD患者,共29例患者入选,分为CAPD组（10例,34.5％）和HD组（19例,65.5％）,选择10例年龄及性别与CAPD组匹配非PKD的CAPD患者作为对照组。记录患者一般资料、透析初始资料、并发症、生存时间、退出透析或死亡等结局。采用Kaplan-Meier法,Log-Rank检验进行生存分析。 结果 CAPD组1年、3年及5年存活率分别为 90％、75％及25％;HD组为94.4％、67.6％及48.3％;对照组为83.3％、44.4％及22.2％,3组患者存活率差异无统计学意义（P > 0.05）。CAPD组与对照组Kt/V[（2.09±0.97）/周比（1.93±0.59）/周]、Ccr[（58.5±9.1） L&#8226;周-1&#8226;（1.73 m2）-1比（55.0±9.5）L&#8226;周-1&#8226;（1.73 m2）-1]、腹膜炎的发生率（0.62次/病人年比0.30次/病人年）、首次腹膜炎时间[（23.5±4.0）个月比（20.0±15.8）个月]、腹透管出口感染次数（0 次比 1次）、发生疝的例数（1例比0例）、腹透液渗漏的发生次数（0次比0次）差异均无统计学意义（均P > 0.05）。HD组2例发生脑出血（10.5％）,皆死亡;10例（52.6％）发生囊肿出血,其中5例因反复囊肿出血行手术治疗;2例因出血严重行单侧肾脏切除。CAPD组无脑出血发生,仅1例（10％）发生囊肿出血,该囊肿出血患者经保守治疗后好转。HD组出血并发症高于CAPD组（P < 0.05）且较严重。 结论 PKD患者与非PKD患者行CAPD治疗其预后及并发症的发生比例类似。PKD患者行CAPD治疗与HD治疗的预后同样较好,且行CAPD时出血并发症的风险较少。除非透析前存在疝或患者不耐受,PKD肾衰竭患者既可选择HD也可选择CAPD作为初始的肾脏替代治疗方式,PKD不是CAPD治疗的禁忌证。     

Right hydrothorax found soon after introduction of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis: thoracoscopic surgery for pleuroperitoneal communication

Hydrothorax due to pleuroperitoneal communication is a rare complication in patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). One of the problems of this complication is the need to cease CAPD, which means that the patient must shift completely to hemodialysis. Therefore, a quick, minimally invasive, and complete surgical repair of the pleuroperitoneal communication is required. We recently treated a patient who had developed a right hydrothorax soon after the introduction of CAPD. Clinical examination led to a diagnosis of pleuroperitoneal communication. The patient was successfully treated by complete thoracoscopic repair of the communication. We could precisely identify the defective site on the diaphragm using the dye-added CAPD solution method. CAPD was restarted 5 days after the operation, and there was no recurrence of hydrothorax after the operation.     

Inguinal herniorrhaphy in the continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patient.

Inguinal hernia repair in the patient on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) is complicated in theory by an increased potential for recurrence. In addition to the constant increased intraabdominal pressure, chronic renal failure has been shown to impair tissue healing. Controversy exists regarding the waiting period before resuming CAPD postoperatively. A retrospective review of all CAPD patients undergoing inguinal herniorrhaphy was performed. The patient's age, type of repair, duration of renal failure preoperatively, length of time on CAPD postoperatively, and date of resumption of CAPD were recorded. An inpatient and outpatient chart review was performed on all patients. Telephone follow-up was performed on surviving patients. From April 1981 to June 1989, 30 patients underwent 36 inguinal herniorrhaphies while on CAPD. One immediate postoperative death occurred due to underlying cardiac disease. The mean follow-up for surviving patients was 34 months (range, 16 to 91) and for those deceased was 25 months (range, 1 to 60). No recurrent hernias were identified either by extensive inpatient and outpatient chart review, or by direct patient telephone contact in all surviving patients. We conclude that inguinal herniorrhaphy can be safely performed in CAPD patients. Peritoneal dialysis can be initiated immediately after repair in this high-risk group of patients. There is a low risk of recurrence; however, long-term patient survival is not expected due to concurrent underlying medical problems.     

Tailoring the Peritoneal Dialysis Prescription

M. D., a 62-year-old female with renal disease secondary to bilateral polycystic kidneys and hypertension, opted for continuous ambulatory peritoneal diaiysis (CAPD) when her renal function deteriorated (24-hr urinary creatinine clearance of 6.8 ml/ min in a total urinary volume of 1200 ml) and uremic symptoms developed. The patient lived about a 3-hr drive from the nearest dialysis center. This factor weighed heavily in the patient's decision to choose home dialysis .
A Swan Neck Missouri peritoneal dialysis catheter was inserted by a surgeon under local anesthesia with no complications. Since the patient was symptomatic from the uremia, peritoneal dialysis using a cycler in the supine position was initiated about 18 hr after the catheter insertion. To avoid dialysis solution leak from the incision site, 1 1 volumes per exchange and a 0.5-hr cycle time were chosen. The cycler dialysis continued for 36 hr. The amount of ultrafiltration achieved was 2200 ml. The patient received two additional treatments using cycler dialysis during the next seven days before CAPD training was begun. CAPD training was accomplished in five working days. A baseline peritoneal equilibration test (PET) was carried out and thr residual renal function was determined. Based on the D/P creatinine ratio and the glucose results of the PET, the patient was classified as having a high peritoneal membrane transport rate. The renal creatinine and urea clearances were 5.7 and 4.2 ml/min, respectively (24-hr urine volume was 926 ml ).     

Serum oxalate in chronic renal failure

Serum oxalate is easily controlled in patients with chronic renal failure not yet on dialysis by dietary protein restriction but poorly controlled by both haemodialysis and continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). In the control of serum oxalate in chronic renal failure dietary protein restriction is effective in the pre-dialysis patient whereas both CAPD and haemodialysis are relatively inefficient in end-stage renal failure.     

Impact of dialysis adequacy on the mortality and morbidity of anuric Chinese patients receiving continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis

Dialysis adequacy has a major impact on the outcome of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients. However, most studies on peritoneal dialysis adequacy have focused on patients with significant residual renal function. The present study examined the effect of dialysis adequacy on anuric CAPD patients. A single-center prospective observational study on 140 anuric CAPD patients was performed. These patients were followed for 22.0 +/- 11.9 mo. Dialysis adequacy and nutritional indices, including Kt/V, creatinine clearance (CCr), protein equivalent nitrogen appearance, percentage of lean body mass, and serum albumin level were monitored. Clinical outcomes included actuarial patient survival, technique survival, and duration of hospitalization. In the study population, 64 were male, 36 (25.7%) were diabetic, and 59 (42.1%) were treated with 6 L exchanges per day. The body weight was 59.2 +/- 10.2 kg. Average Kt/V was 1.72 +/- 0.31, and CCr was 43.7 +/- 11.5 L/wk per 1.73m(2). Two-yr patient survival was 68.8%, and technique survival was 61.4%. Multivariate analysis showed that DM, duration of dialysis before enrollment, serum albumin, and index of dialysis adequacy (Kt/V or CCr) were independent factors of both patient survival and technique survival. It was estimated that for two patients who differed only in weekly Kt/V, a 0.1 higher value was associated with a 6% decrease in the RR of death (P: < 0.05; 95% confidence interval, 0.92 to 0.99). Serum albumin and CCr were the only independent factors that predicted hospitalization. It was found that even when there is no residual renal function, higher dialysis dosage is associated with better actuarial patient survival, better technique survival, and shorter hospitalization. Dialysis adequacy has a significant impact on the clinical outcome of CAPD patients, and the beneficial effect is preserved in anuric patients as well as in an ethnic group that has a low overall mortality.     

Continuous peritoneal dialysis in children: a single-centre experience in a developing country

Continuous peritoneal dialysis (CPD) is the most commonly used modality of dialysis in children. Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) has been an established form of therapy in adult patients with end-stage renal failure in India for more than a decade. There is a paucity of published experience of CPD in children from developing countries. We retrospectively studied children with end-stage renal failure (ESRD) that had been on CAPD over the past 10 years. Thirty patients with ESRD, mean age 13±8 years (range 5–21 years), male 18, were started on CAPD from 1994 to October 2004. The mean break-in period was 12±3 days. Of these 30 patients, 15 had a total of 21 episodes of peritonitis. The peritonitis rate was 0.58 episodes per patient year. E. coli was the commonest organism causing peritonitis. On outcome analysis, 7/30 (23.3%) patients received a renal transplant, while 11/30 (36.6%) continued on CAPD, awaiting a kidney transplant. Of the rest, eight (26.6%) patients died, two (6.7%) suffered technique failure and were changed to haemodialysis, and two (6.7%) were lost to follow-up after 2 months. The mean cumulative survival time of patient on CPD was 42 months. We conclude that CPD is a viable option for dialysis in ESRD children in a developing country and is a successful bridge between ESRD and renal transplantation     

CAPD and renal transplantation

Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) is believed to improve the immune competence of end-stage renal failure patients and to increase the risk of graft rejection following subsequent renal transplantation. At this centre, 220 consecutive renal transplants have been studied in patients treated by either CAPD or haemodialysis (HD). Patient and graft survival was not significantly different for the two treatment groups over a five year follow-up. When only first cadaver recipients were considered (152 grafts) one-year graft survival (non-immunological failures excluded) was 77 per cent for CAPD and 79 per cent for HD patients (P greater than 0.05). Time on dialysis and number of pre-operative transfusions were significantly greater for the HD patients (P less than 0.05). A group of HD and CAPD patients were identified as being matched for age, sex, HLA, A, B, DR antigen matches, pre-operative transfusions and time-on dialysis. One-year graft survival of the CAPD patients was 82 per cent and for the HD patients 61 per cent. Studies of patient lymphocyte function and plasma suppressive activity in vitro revealed no differences between CAPD and HD treated patients. CAPD is not an immunological risk factor in renal transplantation and its continued use in the preparation of patients for transplantation is recommended.     

Intraperitoneal production of erythropoietin with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis

Higher hematocrit and serum erythropoietin (EPO) levels have previously been shown in end-stage renal disease patients treated with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) compared with hemodialysis. We investigated whether EPO was produced intraperitoneally in CAPD patients. EPO concentration was 3.5±0.3 mU/ml by radioimmunoassay in 26 samples of peritoneal dialysis effluent obtained from 15 CAPD patients. EPO was not detectable in the fresh unused dialysate. No correlation was observed between EPO levels in the serum and dialysis effluent. Peritoneal macrophages were isolated from the dialysis effluent of 9 CAPD patients after an overnight dwell. The culture supernatant obtained after 24 h of in vitro culture of a million cells yielded EPO of 3.5±0.3 mU/ml. Our study demonstrated that peritoneal macrophages from CAPD patients produce EPO on in vitro stimulation, and EPO is present in the dialysis effluent of CAPD patients.     

Effects of different dialysis modalities on cardiac autonomic dysfunctions in end-stage renal disease patients: one year prospective study

Cardiac autonomic dysfunction (CAD) is a common problem in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and may contribute to the risk of cardiac mortality. Long-term effects of dialysis modalities on CAD in ESRD patients are not clear. In this one-year prospective study, we studied the effects of different dialysis modalities on CAD in ESRD patients. The study consisted of 20 ESRD patients who had the indications for initiating dialysis therapy (13 hemodialysis and 7 CAPD patients) and 15 healthy controls (M/F: 5/10; age 30 +/- 4). In all the subjects, first at the beginning of study (in patient groups just before initiating dialysis therapy) and then after 12 months, we studied 24 hours ECG-Holter monitoring and heart rate variability parameters (time and frequency domain analysis parameters; SDNN: standard deviations of nn intervals, rMSSD: square root of the median of standard deviation, HRVI: heart rate variability index, LF/HF: low frequency/high frequency). In ESRD patients, before dialysis therapy, all the parameters of time domain analysis were significantly lower compared to control group (p = 0.001). In patient groups, after dialysis therapy (on the 12th month), significant improvement was observed in time domain analysis parameters (p = 0.001). When dialysis modalities were compared, the increase in the time domain analysis parameters was significantly greater in the CAPD group compared to hemodialysis (HD) group. Our findings suggest that CAD is frequent in ESRD patients, a dialysis therapy of 12 months can cause significant improvement on CAD and the ameliorative effect of CAPD is better than HD.     

Tamoxifen therapy in encapsulating sclerosing peritonitis in patients after kidney transplantation

Sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis (SEP) is a serious complication of long-term continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) associated with obstructive symptoms and sclerosis of the peritoneal membrane. We present two cases that were successfully treated with tamoxifen and corticosteroids. Case 1: A 40-year-old patient developed end-stage renal failure (ESRF) and was managed with CAPD. He was hospitalized with symptoms of small bowel obstruction. He underwent laparotomy confirming the diagnosis of SEP. The patient was given tamoxifen 20 mg twice a day. Case 2: A 55-year-old patient with ESRF secondary to membranous glomerulonephritis. After having a cadaveric renal transplant in 1978 that failed 20 years later, the patient returned to CAPD. Six years later he had an uneventful kidney transplant and the peritoneal dialysis catheter was removed. However, 8 months later he presented with symptoms of small bowel obstruction and gross blood stained ascites. He also underwent a laparotomy that confirmed the diagnosis of SEP after biopsy. The patient was started on 20 mg of tamoxifen twice a day. Both patients' symptoms were improved gradually with an increase of serum albumin and body weight. Tamoxifen may be useful in the treatment of patients diagnosed with SEP.     

An African community-based chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis programme.

BACKGROUND: The reasons for failure of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) are varied. Against a background of mass poverty, poor resources, and the cheaper cost of CAPD it is the primary choice of dialysis. The aims of this study were to determine infection rates and document factors responsible for CAPD failure. METHODS: We report a prospective study in a large African tertiary hospital and its community based satellite clinics. Infection rates as well as factors that may influence them were studied. Sites of infections were documented and causes of CAPD failure recorded. All patients qualifying for dialysis from January 1998 to July 1999 were included. RESULTS: Eighty-four patients were enrolled. There were 55 males and 29 females. The mean age was 39+/-10 (range 16-71) years and mean duration on dialysis at the end of the trial period was 17 months. The peritonitis rate was one episode every 27.9 patient months. Attrition to haemodialysis occurred in 16.6% of patients (n=14) and loss to follow-up in 29.8% (n=25). Fourteen patients regained renal function or were transplanted. Peritonitis appeared to be related to a poor BAD-C score (Bara Adapted Dialysis Compliance), i.e. combination of clinical status and clinic visits (P=0.07). The odds ratio for failure of CAPD with peritonitis was 5.3 times higher (confidence interval (CI) 1.7-17.1; P=0.0085). A low BAD-C score was a significant indicator of CAPD 'failure' (P=0.0001). The natural turnover rate of patients was 46%. Home conditions, employment, and education levels did not correlate with CAPD 'failure'. CONCLUSION: The peritonitis rate and aetiology are similar to the developed world. Socioeconomic factors did not appear to play a role in peritonitis rates or CAPD failure.