peritoneal dialysis

Intraperitoneal vancomycin absorption is higher when there is peritoneal inflammation, but the absorption decreases with recovery from peritonitis. Consequently, intraperitoneal maintenance doses are ineffective, reducing the rate of cure. Aim:To evaluate the outcome of Gram-positive peritonitis treated with intraperitoneal and subsequent intravenous vancomycin. Methods: In April 1996, we initiated a protocol for treating peritonitis caused by Gram-positive organisms using a 2-g intraperitoneal loading dose of vancomycin followed by intravenous vancomycin at 1 g twice in 5 days for coagulase-negative Staphylococcus and at 1 g three times in 5 days for Staphylococcus aureus. We analyzed episodes of Gram-positive peritonitis (coagulase-negative and S. aureus) and the efficiency of the treatment protocol in 113 patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis between 1 April, 1996 and 3 August, 2016. There were 6090 patient-months and the mean treatment lasted 54±44 months. The outcomes were evaluated as (1) complete cure, (2) relapsing peritonitis, (3) catheter removal for refractory peritonitis, and (4) death. Results: A total of 51 cases of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus peritonitis and 37 of S. aureus were seen in 46 of the 113 patients (40.7%). Of these, coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (92.15%) and 34 S. aureus peritonitis (91.89%) resolved. Conclusion:The response to treatment was very satisfactory.

Brucellosis is a zoonotic infection that is endemic in some Mediterranean countries, North Africa and the Middle East. Brucella is a rare cause of peritonitis in Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) population and in non-dialysis patients alike. We report here a challenging case of PD-related Brucella peritonitis in a 45-year-old Saudi male with late peritonitis that delivered some key learning throughout its course from presentation, diagnosis and treatment to catheter salvage attempts so as to circumvent PD failure. We provide an in-depth review of limited published literature on PD-related Brucella peritonitis (seven cases, and present case) and summarized the data on key clinical characteristics, management and PD technique outcome to benefit nephrologists when encountered with this rare presentation.

Peritonitis is the main complication of peritoneal dialysis caused the withdrawal of treatment like peritoneal dialysis which was used as primary treatment modality few years back in Pakistan. With this motto to know the exact cause of peritonitis this retrospective study was done and 35 out of 42 pervious peritoneal dialysis patients who had peritonitis were analyzed using old data. A total of 57 bags of all these peritonitis patients were analyzed in department of microbiology during the year 2007-2011. Out of these bags positive culture was obtained from 42 bags (74%). Most of patients with positive culture were undergoing acute peritoneal dialysis 66.67% and rest were on chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. Main concern was the yield of organisms causing culture positive peritonitis. It was found that bacterial peritonitis was positive in 80%, fungal peritonitis was 11% and mycobacterium tuberculosis peritonitis was 09%. Various culture techniques along with Gram Stain, Zeihl Nielsen Stain and Auramine stain were used for knowing the yield. Limitations: Old and only small available data of peritonitis patients and stop of further peritoneal dialysis.

In Portugal, around 2500 patients with end-stage chronic kidney disease (CKD stage 5) start a renal replacement therapy (RRT) for the first time each year [1]. They have four main treatment options: kidney transplantation (TX); haemodialysis (HD); peritoneal dialysis (PD) and conservative treatment (CT). RRT selection is quite complex due to the specificities of each option and to their profound effect on patient’s quality of life. Patients must play a decisive role in the choice of treatment modality and select the option that best suits to their values and needs.

Hypercalcemia in End Stage Renal Disease on Dialysis, is a frustrating complication for both medical staff and patients, and it may lead to vascular calcification, Calciphylaxis, and even aggravating cardiovascular disease, even in the absence of risk factors which can lead to early death [1], and correcting Hypercalcemia even in the absence of hyperphosphatemia is out most important to improve co-morbid conditions and reduce mortality, most common causes in end stage renal disease, includes high calcium dialysis bath, high dietary intake of Calcium rich food, exogenous intake of calcium products, or excessive intake of Vitamin D, underlying Sarcoidosis, rare causes need to be explored in resistant cases, including Vitamin A toxicosis, as being presented in this case.

Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) is defined as an abrupt decrease in kidney function within hours to days and is caused by multiple factors. Community-acquired AKI (CA-AKI) is common in developing countries, and it is crucial to bring awareness about its epidemiology and simple preventive strategies that can tackle this potentially serious complication. Infections, use of over-the-counter medicines, traditional herbal remedies, animal (and insect) bites, and pregnancy-related complications are common causes of CA-AKI in developing countries. The incidence of vector-borne disease-related AKI and obstetric causes of AKI have decreased following better public health policies in most developing countries. Appropriate fluid management is critical in AKI, both in terms of prevention of development and progression of AKI. Timely initiation and de-escalation of fluid therapy are both equally important. Kidney replacement therapy (KRT) is indicated when AKI progresses to stage 3 and/or patients develop refractory fluid overload or electrolyte imbalances and/or uremic complications. Hemodialysis is the most common modality of KRT in adults, whereas peritoneal dialysis is the dominant modality in small children. Convective renal replacement therapy, such as hemofiltration, is increasingly used in critically sick patients with AKI and hemodynamic instability. To summarize, CA-AKI is a common, serious, and often preventable complication of certain conditions acquired in the community, and is, therefore, a matter of utmost concern from the public health perspective. 

Peritonitis is a common and serious complication of Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) and its prevention and treatment are very important to reduce patient morbility and mortality. PD-related peritonitis can be caused by many germs; in most cases Gram-Positive Cocci (GPC) are responsible. In our report instead, we present the first case, to our knowledge, of peritonitis due to Chryseobacteriumgleum in a peritoneal dialysis patient.Our aim is to make known this type of opportunistic pathogen that can survive in a hospital environment so as to prevent C.gleum-related peritonitis. The rapid identification of this pathogen in the laboratory is very important for guiding therapy and preventing further complications.

Cognitive impairment (CI) can be defined as a clinical syndrome characterized by a decline in at least two of several domains of cognitive function. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an independent risk factor for cognitive decline, and the prevalence in patients with end-stage renal disease is estimated at 50% - 80%. However, it appears that CI in patients on renal replacement therapy (RRT) may be underdiagnosed. In this cross-sectional study, 33 patients on Peritoneal Dialysis from the AOU Federico II were recruited, and matched by sex, age, and dialysis age to 33 patients on Hemodialysis and 33 controls belonging to healthy volunteers. The total 66 patients and their 33 controls were assessed for cognitive function using the Cognitive Reserve Index Questionnaire (CRIq) test. Between PD and HD patients, a statistically significant difference emerged in all subscores and in the total CRI. Between PD patients and controls, a statistically significant difference emerged in education, CRI- CRI-leisure time, and the total CRI. Therefore, CI may occur in patients undergoing PD earlier and with a greater frequency than in the general population, but with a lower incidence than in patients on HD. These considerations should be communicated to patients when they are educated about different replacement methods.

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a well-tolerated home renal replacement therapy for patients with end-stage renal disease. One of the critical points for the success of a PD program is the care of the peritoneal catheter and the exit site. A target for the incidence of infections/year should not exceed 0,40. The aim of the study was to observe whether our exit-site cleansing and dressing method, which involves the application of silver-releasing dressing may be associated with a reduction in the incidence of exit-site infections compared to the data reported in the literature.The data of 51 patients attending the Peritoneal Dialysis DH of the AOU Federico II in Naples in the period between July 2021 and September 2023 were analyzed.Overall, 27670 catheter days were analyzed with an average incidence of 0.23 infections/year/patient. The average incidence (0.23) is lower than the target suggested by the ISPD (0.4 infections/year/patient) and the average estimated in the USA (0.5-0.6 infections/year/patient). The average incidence from 2021 to 2023, equal to 0.23 episodes/year/patient, is therefore lower than the incidence of 2014-2015 (0.38 episodes/year/patient), a two-year period in which we did not use dressings with silver Exit-Pad.The use of Exit-Pad silver ion-releasing dressings Ag may further hinder the development of such infections by reducing the failure of peritoneal treatment and the transition to hemodialysis.

Background: Long-term care for patients with chronic kidney disease, whether in the pre or post-dialysis period, has a destructive impact on patients and their caregivers that can significantly worsen their quality of life. Objectives: To assess the quality of life (QOL) among caregivers of children suffering from chronic kidney disease and to identify the possible factors affecting their quality of life. Subjects and methods: Between March 2023 and May 2023, a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted at King Saud Medical City for caregivers of all pediatric patients aged from 6 months to 14 years with CKD stage-3B and beyond who have been followed up for at least three months in the pre or post-dialysis period since 2015. The study applied the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) to evaluate the caregivers’ quality of life. Result: A total of 95 caregivers were involved in the study. The age ranged between 24 and 53 years, with an arithmetic mean of 39.3 and a standard deviation of (± 6.6) years, and almost two-thirds (65.3%) were Saudi nationals. Most pediatric patients were on peritoneal renal dialysis (41%), whereas 29.5% were on hemodialysis. The mean and SD of the overall score was 56.10 ± 17.40 out of a possible range of 0-100. Regarding its domains, the highest score was observed regarding the social domain (62.11 ± 21.12), whereas the lowest was the physical domain (49.55 ± 18.42). After controlling for confounding, married, high socio-economic, and more educated caregivers have higher QOL scores than singles, low socio-economic, and lower knowledgeable caregivers, and the three factors together were responsible for approximately 41% variability of the QOL score (r – square = 0.406). Bivariate Pearson correlation showed significant correlations among different quality-of-life domains (p < 0.001). Conclusion: There was a significant association between quality-of-life scores and demographic characteristics of chronic kidney disease caregivers; they need the highest support to cope with their delicate patients. 

Introduction: Cognitive impairment is defined as a new deficit in at least two areas of cognitive functioning. These may include disturbances in memory, executive functioning, attention or speed of information processing, perceptual motor abilities, or language. It has been shown that cognitive impairment is associated with the severity of kidney disease. Methods: The study was a descriptive research design, with participants purposively sampled from the general chronic kidney disease population which included haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients at Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria, Gauteng Province, South Africa. Hundred and fifty-one participants (76 hemodialysis & 75 peritoneal dialysis patients), 58% were males, and 42% were females aged 19-61 years. To establish the prevalence of cognitive impairment by testing the level of cognition the Mini-Mental State Examination was utilized to provide a brief screening test to quantitatively assess the cognitive abilities and cognitive changes of patients while on dialysis. Results: Ninety-nine percent (99%) of the recruited population reported no cognitive impairment, irrespective of dialysis modality, demographic characteristics, and socio-economic status. Conclusion: Despite the findings highlighting that the majority of the chronic kidney disease population at Steve Biko Academic Hospital reported no cognitive impairment, it is crucial to increase awareness of the potential effects of cognitive impairment on daily activities, quality of life, and treatment adherence. Early detection and management of cognitive impairment can significantly impact the quality of life and adherence to treatment among these patients. Further research is needed to understand the prevalence and impact of cognitive impairment in different populations and to develop effective interventions for its prevention and management.