Urea kinetics (weekly Kt/V) greater than 1.7 generally define adequate peritoneal dialysis (PD). Adequacy of PD depends on residual renal function and PD clearance. Preserving residual renal function and peritoneal membrane characteristics helps to maintain PD adequacy.The dose of PD can be augmented by increasing the total dialysate volume. Greater volume can be achieved by increasing either the fill volume per exchange or the number of exchanges. Increased time on dialysis can be achieved by keeping PD fluid in the peritoneal cavity at all times. Increasing the convective force enhances solute removal with ultrafiltration.Incremental PD is used during urgent starts and in patients who are newly starting or who have been on PD. Urgent starts require use of frequent low-volume exchanges to avoid leaks at surgical sites. The dialysate volume can be gradually increased provided that no leakage occurs, up to approximately 2 L per exchange on day 14 for an average-size adult. New-start patients require only 1 - 2 exchanges daily if they still have residual renal function. Incremental PD retains patients on PD as residual renal function wanes and peritoneal membrane characteristics change because of dextrose exposure, infection, and inflammation.Use of a cycler permits patients to achieve adequacy by increasing the volume per cycle and the number of cycles per treatment. Using a non-dextrose-based solution, such as icodextrin, allows patients to achieve adequate ultrafiltration with less dextrose exposure.Adequate dialysis can be achieved by manipulating the dialysate dwell volume and the frequency of exchanges, and by optimizing ultrafiltration.
The effects of medium- or long-term use of neutral-pH dialysate on peritoneal transport and peritoneal damage have not been sufficiently researched.We retrospectively evaluated time-dependent changes in the dialysate-to-plasma ratio of creatinine (D/P Cr) and biomarkers of peritoneal damage in the effluent of 65 patients who underwent peritoneal dialysis (PD) with neutral-pH dialysate, including 48 who underwent medium-term PD (≥3 years) and 17 who underwent long-term PD (≥5 years).Patients who underwent medium-term PD initially had a D/P Cr of 0.59 (range: 0.53 - 0.74), nonsignificantly changing to 0.65 (range: 0.55 - 0.73), 0.67 (range: 0.56 - 0.74), and 0.67 (range: 0.62 - 0.72) after 1, 2, and 3 years respectively (p = 0.30, p = 0.26, and p = 0.19). Patients who underwent long-term PD initially had a D/P Cr of 0.57 (range: 0.52 - 0.62), nonsignificantly changing to 0.61 (range: 0.52 - 0.69), 0.64 (range: 0.54 - 0.67), 0.62 (range: 0.57 - 0.66), 0.65 (range: 0.50 - 0.72), and 0.61 (range: 0.48 - 0.7) after 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years respectively (p = 0.49, p = 0.31, p = 0.24, p = 0.23, and p = 0.46). After 3 years, a significant increase in effluent hyaluronan (HA) from 90 ng/mL initially (range: 66 - 121 ng/mL) to 144 ng/ mL (range: 116 - 216 ng/mL) was observed (p = 0.04).No significant change in D/P Cr was observed in patients who underwent PD with neutral-pH dialysate. However, effluent HA, which is a biomarker for peritoneal damage, increased. In patients using neutral-pH dialysate, D/P Cr cannot be a biomarker for determining PD discontinuation within 5 years, but effluent HA might be useful.
Exit-site infection poses a risk for peritonitis and can shorten peritoneal dialysis (PD) vintage. A loose fit of the skin around the catheter at the exit site can push bacteria surrounding the catheter into the subcutaneous tunnel. Negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has been used to hasten healing of the wound after an operation or to treat pressure ulcers. We hypothesized that NPWT could speed the healing of the exit site and tighten the fit of the skin around the catheter. Using a V.A.C. Therapy system [vacuum-assisted closure (KCI, San Antonio, TX, U.S.A.)], NPWT was therefore applied in 9 patients for 1 - 2 weeks after the PD catheter insertion operation. Results in those patients were compared with results in patients who did not receive NPWT.The healed exit site was classified as either tightly fitted (when the skin was tightly connected around the PD catheter) or loosely fitted (when the skin was not tightly connected around the catheter). The relevant data were retrieved from the medical record and analyzed retrospectively.Patients who received NPWT had a tight exit site after 1 - 2 weeks. Those who did not receive NPWT did not have a tight exit site after 1 - 2 weeks. No bleeding was observed in patients receiving NPWT. Bleeding from the exit site after the catheter insertion operation was observed in 3 patients not receiving NPWT.Because we use a fine trocar to make the subcutaneous catheter tunnel, bleeding from the vasculature can often be observed. That bleeding could be minimized with the application of NPWT. Negative pressure could also hasten wound healing and result in a tight fit of the skin around the catheter within in 1 - 2 weeks compared with the 1 month typically required with the use of conventional film dressings.Negative-pressure wound therapy is beneficial for creating a tight fit of the skin to the catheter within 1 - 2 weeks and might reduce the number of exit-site and tunnel infections, which could result in a reduction in the peritonitis rate.
Telehealth encompasses a broad variety of technologies and tactics to deliver virtual medical, health, and education services. Telemedicine is the use of electronic communications for the exchange of medical information from one site to another to improve a patient's clinical health status.Several studies show that, by providing better patient oversight and communication, telehealth in PD enhances patient care, outcomes, quality of care, and satisfaction. Associated benefits include increased patient retention to home dialysis, reduced use of hospital services, and reduced costs of care.The sustainability of telehealth had been limited by reimbursement and regulatory restrictions. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) limited services related to end-stage renal disease by providing reimbursement for telehealth only in rural areas or counties outside of a metropolitan statistical area. Moreover, the dialysis facility and the patient's home were not approved as originating sites. However, effective January 1, 2019, those restrictions will be lifted. Telehealth will require that home dialysis patients be established with 3 initial face-to-face monthly clinical assessments without the use of telehealth; after those initial 3 months, a face-to-face visit at least once every 3 consecutive months will be required. Claims can be submitted using designated Current Procedural Terminology codes and modifiers.The actual extension of telehealth to home dialysis patients will depend on the details of forthcoming CMS regulations.
Peritoneal dialysis (PD) dosing is determined by urea clearance scaled to total body water (TBW). However, studies delivering greater peritoneal Kt/V urea have failed to demonstrate improved survival. Body surface area (BSA) has been suggested as an alternative scaling factor. Cellular metabolism generates toxins, and thus total energy expenditure (TEE) might be a preferable scaling factor. Because TEE is cumbersome to determine, we set out to determine the association of anthropomorphic scaling factors with TEE.The TEE was determined using the Recent Physical Activity Questionnaire combined with resting energy expenditure by validated equations that use doubly labelled isotopic water and body composition by multi-frequency bioimpedance.In 148 adult PD patients [97 men (65.5%)], mean age was 60.6 ± 20.6 years, and median PD treatment duration was 9.1 months (range: 3.5 - 25.2 months). Mean weight in the group was 73.6 ± 16.7 kg, body mass index (BMI) was 26.0 ± 4.9 kg/m2, and BSA was 1.86 ± 0.24 m2. The mean TEE was 1974 ± 414 kcal daily, and it correlated with BMI (men: r = 0.48, p < 0.001; women r = 0.36, p = 0.018), BSA (men: r = 0.56; women: r = 0.63; both p < 0.001), and TBW (men: r = 0.62; women: r = 0.65; both p < 0.001). Skeletal muscle mass correlated with BMI (men: r = 0.48; women: r = 0.50), BSA (men: r = 0.72; women: r = 0.63), and TBW (men: r = 0.98; women: r = 0.99), all p < 0.001.Comparing scaling factors, correlations with TEE were stronger for TBW and BSA than for BMI. Skeletal muscle mass was most strongly associated with TBW. Our study did not demonstrate any advantage for BSA compared with TBW as a scaling factor to adjust the dose of PD.
