Chronic peritoneal dialysis in children with special needs or social disadvantage or both: contraindications are not always contraindications

♦ Objective: Our aim in the present study was to identify outcomes in children with special needs or social disadvantage, or both, receiving chronic peritoneal dialysis (CPD) treatment in a pediatric dialysis unit.♦ Methods: Among 110 children started on CPD in our unit during the period between November 1995 and November 2008, we identified 13 patients (8 girls, 5 boys) with major physical, mental, or psychosocial problems. Age at CPD initiation in the group with disability ranged from 4.0 years to 16.5 years (median: 7.5 years). Under lying diseases were vesicoureteral reflux (4 patients), neuropathic bladder and vesicoureteral reflux (3 patients), chronic pyelonephritis (3 patients), amyloidosis (2 patients), and Alport syndrome (1 patient). Challenges encountered were adverse family or social circumstances (4 patients), cerebral palsy (3 patients), Down syndrome (1 patient), rectovesical fistula in conjunction with ectopic anus and previous multiple abdominal surgery (1 patient), blindness and deafness (1 patient), ventriculoperitoneal shunt (1 patient), colostomy and malnutrition (1 patient), and mental retardation and blindness (1 patient). All catheters were implanted percutaneously.♦ Results: Median duration of dialysis was 18 months (range: 6 - 124 months). The frequency of peritonitis was not different between children with and without disability (p > 0.05). In children with disability compared with children without disability, the frequencies of catheter-related infections (1 episode/79.3 patient-months vs 1 episode/32.4 patient-months) and of catheter-related non-infectious complications (1 episode/238 patient-months vs 1 episode/115.7 patient-months) were lower (p < 0.05). Chronic peritoneal dialysis was terminated in 5 children (for renal transplantation in 3, switch to hemodialysis in 1, death in 1).♦ Conclusions: Our results suggest that, with appropriate family support and an experienced multidisciplinary team, CPD can be effectively performed in children with special needs or social disadvantage, or both.