Peritoneal Dialysis International: Journal of the International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis

To analyze the complications after Tenckhoff catheter insertion among patients with renal failure needing dialysis.

The open, paramedian approach is the commonest technique to insert the 62-cm coiled double-cuffed Tenckhoff peritoneal catheter. All patients with catheters inserted between January 2004 and November 2007 were retrospectively analyzed for demographics and followed for up to 1 month for complications. We excluded patients whose catheters had been anchored to the bladder wall and who underwent concurrent omentectomy or readjustment without removal of a malfunctioning catheter (n = 7). Intravenous cloxacillin was the standard preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis.

Over the 4-year study period, 384 catheters were inserted under local anesthetic into 319 patients [201 women (62.8%); mean age: 49.4 ± 16.7 years (range: 13 – 89 years); 167 (52.2%) with diabetes; 303 (95%) with end-stage renal disease] by 22 different operators. All Tenckhoff catheters were inserted by the general surgical (n = 223) or urology (n = 161) team. There were 29 cases (7.6%) of catheter migration, 22 (5.7%) of catheter obstruction without migration, 24 (6.3%) of exit-site infection, 12 (3.1%) of leak from the main incision, 14 (3.6%) of culture-proven wound infection, 11 (2.9%) post-insertion peritonitis, and 1 (0.3%) hemoperitoneum. No deaths were attributed to surgical mishap.

The most common complication was catheter migration. The paramedian insertion technique was safe, with low complication rates.

Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis is one of the main treatments for end-stage renal disease. To correct mechanical outflow obstruction after open surgical methods of catheter insertion, laparoscopic techniques are widely employed.

Between January 2001 and December 2006, 228 open Tenckhoff catheter implantations were carried out by mini-laparotomy in 218 patients at our medical center. The procedures were all performed by an experienced surgeon, and the postoperative care, patient education, and long-term follow-up were all conducted by the same peritoneal dialysis team.

Infection of the exit site or tunnel was the most common complication (27/228, 11.8%), followed by peritonitis (18/228, 7.9%) and refractory mechanical catheter obstruction (9/228, 3.9%). The main causes of catheter removal were successful renal transplantation (21/228, 9.2%), peritonitis (18/228, 7.9%), and infection of the exit site or tunnel (7/228, 3.1%). In the 9 cases of refractory mechanical catheter obstruction, laparoscopic surgery was performed to identify the pathology and to rescue the catheter at the same time. Omental wrapping was the major cause (8/9) of catheter obstruction, with blood clot in the lumen and tube migration occurring in the remaining case (1/9). Partial omentectomy was performed in 5 patients to prevent recurrent obstruction. Neither technique failure nor operation-related complications were noted in our laparoscopic rescue group. For 20 of the 25 patients with refractory infection of the exit site or tunnel, the salvage technique of partial re-plantation was performed, with an 85% (17/20) technique survival rate.

With an experienced surgeon and a good postoperative care team, open paramedian placement is a simple, safe, and effective method for Tenckhoff catheter insertion, with a low complication rate. Laparoscopic surgery is effective as rescue for mechanical obstruction, and partial re-plantation is effective as salvage for exit-site or tunnel infection.

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter displacement is a major cause of dysfunction. Various catheter forms have been designed to improve outcome. One of them is based on the classical Tenckhoff catheter, but includes a small tungsten cylinder at the distal end to optimize location and to prevent dislocations.

In this retrospective study, we analyzed the functionality and complication profile of the self-locating catheter implanted at our center from November 2005 to September 2008 in our PD program.

Data from 27 self-locating catheters implanted in 25 patients (12 women) were obtained. Patients were followed for up to 30 months (median observation time: 13 months), resulting in a cumulative study period of 357 PD months. A total of 22 complications were identified, including 1 episode of peritonitis per 52 patient–months, 1 tunnel infection, and 1 exit-site infection. The “functional catheter failure incidence rate” was approximately 0.01 catheters per month on PD (or approximately 1 catheter loss per 100 PD months). The catheter survival was 93% at 1 year.

The “self-locating” PD catheter demonstrates low rates of catheter migration and dislocations, and good catheter survival.

The practice of Tenckhoff catheter insertion by nephrologists remains uncommon in most countries.

We report our single-center experience of Tenckhoff catheter insertion by nephrologists using the open dissection surgical technique in a dedicated ward-based procedure room.

Between November 2005 and September 2008, 250 peritoneal catheters were inserted by 6 nephrologists with varying levels of experience. Surgical dissection followed by exposure of the peritoneum under direct vision was performed under local anesthesia. Primary catheter failure, as defined by catheters that failed to function within 1 month after insertion, occurred in 2.8% of cases. Within 1 month of catheter insertion, 20 patients developed infectious complications: 9 (3.6%) peritonitis, and 11 (4.4%) exit-site infections; none of these complications led to catheter removal. Mean technique survival for the catheters was 41.2 months (95% confidence interval: 39.5 months to 42.9 months). Catheter survival rates at 1 and 2 years were 92.7% and 87.2% respectively.

We reported an encouraging outcome for Tenckhoff catheters inserted by nephrologists in an open surgical manner, with a 2-year catheter survival of 87.2% and a good safety profile.

Best practices for peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter insertion call for timely placement of catheters to reduce complications and increase the likelihood of a successful initiation of PD. The purpose of our study was to assess if a change in approach to PD catheter insertion, including a switch to radiological insertion of PD catheters and introduction of a dialysis access nurse to coordinate all patient care, was associated with more outpatient procedures and achievement of guideline-based outcomes, including timelier PD starts.

We conducted a single-center retrospective chart review of all patients that had their first PD catheter inserted at our center over a 7-year period ending in 2007.

PD catheters were placed in 88 patients by interventional radiology and in 125 patients by surgical insertion during an earlier period. Insertion of PD catheters by interventional radiology was significantly associated with a higher rate of outpatient procedures (70% vs 32%, p < 0.0001) than surgical placement. At PD start, 82% of patients that underwent radiological insertions had an estimated glomerular filtration rate of over 8 mL/minute/1.73 m² and their mean serum albumin level was 38.2 g/L.

The new procedure of radiological insertion of PD catheters, coordinated by a dedicated dialysis access nurse, was associated with more outpatient procedures than the earlier surgical method and allowed patients to receive a PD catheter with timing consistent with clinical practice recommendations.

Although the clinico-pathological entity of uremic pleuritis has long been recognized, its clinical significance remains poorly defined.

We retrospectively studied 82 chronic peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients that had pleural effusion. The pattern of diagnosis and clinical outcome were reviewed.

10 patients had overt fluid overload and thoracocentesis was not performed, 23 had other specific diagnoses, 15 had transudative effusion due to fluid overload, 12 had unexplained transudative effusion, and 22 patients had unexplained exudative effusion. The 3-year actuarial survival was 40.9% and 83.3% for patients with unexplained exudative and transudative effusion respectively (p = 0.012); technique survival was 74.2% and 90.9% respectively (p = 0.006). For patients with unexplained exudative effusion, 11 patients had their PD regimen intensified: they had a higher 3-year actuarial survival than those with their dialysis regimen unchanged (100.0% vs 52.6%, p = 0.04).

Unexplained exudative pleural effusion is not uncommon in chronic PD patients. These patients have a high mortality; an intensive dialysis regimen may be considered.

Peritonitis is a major complication of peritoneal dialysis (PD), being associated with hospitalization, catheter loss, technique failure, and increased mortality. Data on various risk factors for peritonitis are inconsistent, and no association with concomitant therapy has been shown.

We performed a retrospective analysis of all incident and prevalent PD patients (n = 55) treated in Innsbruck, Austria, between 2000 and 2007. Data consisted of 1291 patient–months and 55 episodes of peritonitis. Patient demographic data, comorbidities, concomitant medication, laboratory parameters, and microbiology results were obtained from the medical records and from the hospital's electronic database.

The mean peritonitis incidence rate was 0.51 episodes/patient–year (range: 0.24 – 0.73 episodes/patient–year) or 1 episode every 23.5 months (range: 16 – 50 months). In a primary analysis including demographic characteristics, comorbidities, laboratory parameters, and concomitant medication, only treatment with oral active vitamin D was associated with a significantly lower risk of peritonitis. Adjusted for time on PD and baseline serum albumin, oral active vitamin D therapy was associated with an 80% reduced relative risk of peritonitis [hazard ratio (HR): 0.20; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.06 to 0.64; p = 0.007)]. The risk reduction was comparable in patients who received 0.25 μg or more of vitamin D daily (HR: 0.18; 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.65; p = 0.008) and in those who received less than 0.25 μg vitamin D daily (HR: 0.21; 95% CI: 0.06 to 0.77; p = 0.018).

Treatment with oral active vitamin D might be associated with a lower risk of peritonitis in PD patients.

The peritoneal equilibration test (PET) permits assessment of peritoneal protein transport, but this potential marker of outcome in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients lacks adequate standardization.

To assess various approaches for estimation of peritoneal protein transport in PD patients during 2.27% and 3.86% glucose-based PETs, and to uncover the demographic, clinical, and biochemical correlates of this phenomenon.

We studied 90 PD patients who underwent 2.27% and 3.86% PETs in random order, and we used multivariate analysis to compare assessments of peritoneal protein transport in both tests, searching for correlations between D_240′ – D_0′ protein concentration (PETΔPConc), total peritoneal protein excretion (PET-PPE), or total protein clearance (PET-PC) on the one hand (the main study variables), and PET-derived markers of peritoneal function and selected demographic, clinical, and biochemical variables on the other.

The PETΔPConc was higher during the 2.27% PET (mean: 45.2 mg/dL vs 37.0 mg/dL for the 3.86% test; p = 0.003); the PET-PPE and PET-PC were comparable (1121.8 mg vs 1168.9 mg, p = 0.52, and 17.1 mL vs 17.8 mL, p = 0.66, respectively). All three variables sustained a significant, yet moderate correlation (all r² values < 0.30) with the 24-hour PPE rate. Multivariate analysis identified dialysate-to-plasma ratio (D/P_240′) of creatinine, end-to-initial dialysate ratio (D_240′/D_0′) of glucose, current daily peritoneal glucose load, ultrafiltration during PET, systolic blood pressure, and previous cardiovascular events (3.86% test only) as independent predictors of protein transport during PET.

Either PET-PPE or PET-PC seems preferable to PETΔPConc for characterization of peritoneal protein transport. Small-solute transport characteristics, ultrafiltration, and current peritoneal glucose load sustain independent correlations with peritoneal protein transport. The latter variable shows also a moderate association with markers of cardiovascular disease in PD patients.

A long-term peritoneal exposure model has been developed in Wistar rats. Chronic daily exposure to 3.86% glucose based, lactate buffered, conventional dialysis solutions is possible for up to 20 weeks and induces morphological abnormalities similar to those in long-term peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. The possible effects of kidney failure in this model are unknown. The aim was to analyze the effects of chronic kidney failure on peritoneal function and morphology, alone and in combination with PD exposure, in a well-established, long term, peritoneal exposure model in the rat.

40 male Wistar rats were randomly assigned into four experimental groups: no nephrectomy, no peritoneal exposure (sham; n = 8); nephrectomy, no peritoneal exposure (Nx; n = 12); no nephrectomy, with peritoneal exposure (PD; n = 8); and nephrectomy, with peritoneal exposure (NxPD; n = 12). The nephrectomy consisted of a one-step 70% nephrectomy. The peritoneal exposure groups were infused once daily for 16 weeks with a 3.86% glucose-based dialysis solution. Development of chronic kidney disease was monitored during the experiment. Peritoneal function and morphological assessment of the peritoneal membrane were performed at the end of the experiment.

During follow-up the nephrectomized groups developed uremia with remarkable renal tubular dilatation and glomerular sclerosis in the renal morphology. Functionally, uremia (Nx) and PD exposure (PD) alone showed faster small solute transport and a decreased ultrafiltration capacity, which were most pronounced in the combination group (NxPD). The presence of uremia resulted in histological alterations but the most severe fibrous depositions and highest vessel counts were present in the PD exposure groups (PD and NxPD). Significant relationships were found between the number of vessels and functional parameters of the peritoneal vascular surface area.

It is possible to induce chronic kidney failure in our existing long-term peritoneal infusion model in the rat. The degree of impairment of kidney function after 16 weeks is comparable to chronic kidney disease stage IV. Uremia per se induces both functional and morphological alterations of the peritoneal membrane. An additive effect of these alterations is present with the addition of chronic kidney failure to the model. The latter makes the present long-term model important in better understanding the pathophysiology of the peritoneal membrane in PD.