Adequate dialysis? Measurement of KT/V in a pediatric peritoneal dialysis population.

OBJECTIVE: To measure the urea and creatinine kinetics in a pediatric population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In 19 children treated with peritoneal dialysis (PD) KT/V, urea and creatinine clearances (Ccr) were measured. Thirteen children were on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) and 6 on highly intermittent peritoneal dialysis (NIPD). RESULTS: Mean KT/V per week was 2.31 +/- 0.78 and mean creatinine clearance 74 +/- 47 L/week/1.73 m2. There was no difference in dialytic KT/V between patients treated with CAPD and NIPD (1.75 +/- 0.21 vs 1.76 +/- 0.50). The correlation between KT/V urea and creatinine clearance was 0.9 (p < 0.001). There was a clear relationship of these parameters with residual renal function, but not with age or blood urea level. A weak positive correlation was found with serum albumin and protein intake. CONCLUSIONS: Mean KT/V in this patient group was higher than the values reported for most adult patient groups. Residual renal function considerably contributes to this high KT/V. It is not clearly defined which KT/V should be aimed for, since criteria for adequate dialysis are multifactorially determined and therefore difficult to interpret.