A comparative analysis on the incidence of peritonitis and exit-site infection in CAPD and automated peritoneal dialysis.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the incidence of peritonitis and exit-site infection in an ample group of patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) and automated peritoneal dialysis in a single center during a 10-year period. DESIGN: Nonrandomized, prospective study. SETTING: Public, tertiary care hospital providing peritoneal dialysis care to a population of (approximately) 750 000 people. PATIENTS: We studied 213 patients on CAPD and 115 on automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) starting therapy between January 1989 and August 1998, with a minimum follow-up of 3 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Using a multivariate approach, we compared the incidence, clinical course, and outcome of peritonitis and exit-site infections in both groups, controlling for other risk factors for the complications studied. RESULTS: The incidence of peritonitis was higher in CAPD than in APD (adjusted difference 0.20 episodes/ patient/year, 95% confidence interval 0.08 - 0.32). There was a trend for CAPD patients to present earlier with peritonitis than APD patients, yet the incidence of and survival to the first exit-site infection were similar in both groups. The etiologic spectrum of infections displayed minor differences between groups. Automated PD patients were more frequently hospitalized for peritonitis, but otherwise, the complications and outcome of peritonitis and exit-site infections did not differ significantly between patients on CAPD and those on APD. CONCLUSIONS: Automated PD is associated with a lower incidence of peritonitis than is CAPD, while exit-site infection is similarly incident under both modes of therapy. The etiologic spectrum, complications, and outcome of peritonitis and exit-site infection do not differ markedly between CAPD and APD. Prevention of peritonitis should be included among the generic advantages of APD over CAPD.