Peritoneal Dialysis-Related Peritonitis: Rate, Clinical Outcomes and Patient Survival.

Peritoneal dialysis-related peritonitis remains the major complication and primary challenge to the long-term success of peritoneal dialysis (PD). The study aimed to analyze the peritonitis rate, the cause, the outcomes, and the association of peritonitis with the survival of patients on peritoneal dialysis. Patient data were collected retrospectively from medical charts. A total of 96 patients received peritoneal dialysis in the PD center from 1 January 1999 to 31 December 2018. Episodes of peritonitis (n=159) were registered in 54 (56.3%) patients. The study population was divided into two groups, a group of patients (n=54) who experienced peritonitis and a group of patients free of peritonitis (n=42). The peritonitis rate was 0.47 episodes per patient year. The majority of causative microorganisms were gram-positive bacteria (53.5%). Outcomes of the episodes of peritonitis were resolved infection in 84.9% of episodes, catheter removal in 11.3% of episodes, and death in 3.8% of the episodes of peritonitis. A Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank test revealed that the group with peritonitis tended to survive significantly longer than the peritonitis-free group. A 67% reduction rate in the risk of patient mortality was observed for the peritonitis group compared with the peritonitis-free group (hazard ratio: 0.33, 95% CI 0.19-0.57, P=0.000). The prevention and management of PD-related infections, resulted in their worldwide reduction, supporting the use of PD as a first-line dialysis modality.

Successful treatment of soft tissue calcifications in uremia.

The appearance of soft tissue calcifications in patients with chronic renal failure has been recognised as one of the serious complications of uremia. An elevated serum calcium-phosphate product has almost invariably been detected, although the exact mechanisms of precipitation are still not fully understood. Among the factors responsible for triggering the precipitation process are: hyperphosphatemia, secondary hyperparathyroidism, hypercalcemia, treatment with vitamin D3, etc. Phosphate binders have been used to prevent, among other things, soft tissue calcifications, and parathyroidectomy has most frequently been applied as the therapy of choice, once precipitation of calcium salts has occurred. We present a case of soft tissue calcifications in the gluteal regions of a chronic haemodialysis female patient. The therapy we chose was a combination of biphosphonate and deferoxamine. The patient was treated for two months. The regression of the soft tissue calcifications was very significant, as registered both clinically and radiologically. The exact mechanism by which this reversal was achieved needs further investigation.