Peritoneal catheter exit-site morphology and pathology: prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of exit-site infections. Case reports for independent study.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to B F Prowant.
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Peritonitis is known to acutely affect the transport characteristics of the peritoneal membrane, however, the long-term effects are not known. We studied the effect of peritoneal inflammation on mean dialysate-to-plasma creatinine concentration ratio (D/P), dialysate protein losses (DPL, g/week), and dialysate albumin losses (DAL, g/week), done at six weeks or more postepisode, in 152 patients [102 (67%) males, mean age 57 years (range 21-91)]. These patients were on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis for a mean of twelve months (range 1-97). A total of 94 distinct peritonitis episodes were managed in 47 patients (31%). The number of patients with 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 episodes of peritonitis were 105, 29, 3, 6, 4, and 5. These episodes were treated with a standard protocol. There were no statistically significant differences between the D/P, DPL, or DAL between the groups. The parameters did not show any correlation to time on dialysis. Thus, in conclusion, peritonitis, if promptly treated, does not cause any permanent change in D/P, DAL, or DPL.
A previous study showed that silver-coating peritoneal catheters tended to decrease the incidence of early exit-site infections in rats. This study was designed to further evaluate the healing, biocompatability, and external tunnel morphology of standard and silver-coated catheters. Catheters were coated with silver by an ion beam-assisted process. Fourteen male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent implantation of either a standard or silver-coated double-cuff peritoneal catheter. Weekly observation and photographs documented exit-site characteristics. Erythema, exudate, loose fit, and poor hair growth were evidence of an inflamed exit. Overt infection was indicated by the presence of three or more of the following: erythema, purulent exudate, exuberant granulation tissue, loose fit, and poor hair growth. Animals were sacrificed at six weeks, and catheters were removed and processed for histology of the external tunnel. Multiple measurements were taken using a Filar eyepiece, and data were expressed as a mean of several readings. Inflammation, vascularity, and fibrosis were judged semiquantitatively. At the end of six weeks, six of the seven exits of the silver catheters showed excellent healing, while one exit site had signs of excessive inflammation. Four of the exit sites of the standard catheters healed well, two were inflamed, and one was overtly infected. The sinus tract of the standard and silver catheters had similar characteristics: keratinized and nonkeratinized epithelium lined the external part of the sinus tract and merged into granulation tissue. A fibrous sheath was noted in some sinus tracts between the granulation tissue and the cuff. The cuff evoked a foreign body reaction, with fibrosis, multiple giant cells, and vascularization. Poorly healing or infected sinus tracts had highly vascular granulation tissue with overlying exudate. The cuff of these catheters had marked inflammation and scanty giant cells, although collagen bundle thickness was similar to the well-healing catheters. In conclusion, silver-coating potentially enhances healing of the exit sites of peritoneal catheters. Additionally, the similarity of the tunnel histomorphology of standard and silver catheters confirms the favorable biocompatibility of silver.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to obtain information from nephrology nurses on existing policies and protocols related to peritoneal catheter exit site care and treatment of exit site infections. DESIGN: This was an explorative, descriptive study. SAMPLE/SETTING: Fifty-four nurses who attended the 1995 Consensus Conference on Peritoneal Dialysis at the 26th Annual American Nephrology Nurses' Association National Symposium completed a survey questionnaire on exit site care and management of exit site infections. METHODS: A survey was mailed to nephrology nurses preregistered to attend the 1995 ANNA Consensus Conference related to peritoneal dialysis at the 26th National Symposium. Surveys were also collected at the meeting. RESULTS: Hydrogen peroxide and povidone iodine are frequently used in the nursing care of both healing and chronic exit sites. Almost all of the dialysis units require patients to stabilize or secure the catheter. The majority of respondents had a standardized method of assessing exit sites. Risk factors for exit site infections are presented for both the immediate post-catheter insertion period and the well-healed exit site. There were many different combinations of cleansing agents used to treat inflamed and infected exit sites. CONCLUSIONS: Procedures for exit site care vary widely. Prospective, randomized studies of exit site care protocols and cleansing agents are necessary to determine the most effective procedures to promote healthy exit sites.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the ratio of measured creatinine (Cr) production to predicted creatinine production as an index of noncompliance in patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). DESIGN: A cross-sectional analysis. PATIENTS: One hundred and twenty-one patients on CAPD. MEASUREMENTS: We have calculated Cr production from measured Cr outputs in 24-hour collections of urine and dialysate. Predicted Cr productions were calculated from standard tables. Weekly KT/V urea and weekly Cr clearances were determined from the same 24-hour urine and dialysate collections. Lean body mass (LBM) was calculated from the Cr production. Serum albumin concentration was measured. RESULTS: The ratio of measured/predicted Cr production correlated positively and significantly with weekly KT/V urea, the protein equivalent of nitrogen appearance (PNA), weekly Cr clearance, and LBM. There was a decline in serum albumin concentration at ratios greater than 1.24, supporting the opinions of previous authors who have suggested that ratios greater than 1.24 are highly suggestive of noncompliance with the dialysis prescription. Defining noncompliance as a ratio greater than 1.24 implied that at least 5% of the female and 17% of the male patients were noncompliant. CONCLUSIONS: Declining serum albumin concentrations at higher ratios of measured/predicted Cr production support the opinion that this is an index of noncompliance. However, not all noncompliant patients necessarily have a ratio greater than 1.24. Weekly KT/V urea, weekly Ccr and LBM are all artifactually increased by "washout effects" if all exchanges are done only or mainly on the collection day.
Silver is known to have powerful antibacterial properties against a variety of micro-organisms and has a low toxicity and a favorable biocompatibility profile. This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of silver-coated catheters in preventing early exit-site infection and to assess tunnel morphology. Seven male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent simultaneous implantation of two double-cuffed, silver-coated silicone rubber and standard silicone rubber catheters. Weekly observations and photographs documented exit-site characteristics. The animals were sacrificed and catheters removed and processed for histopathology of the external tunnel at 5 weeks. Exit sites of silver-coated catheters tended to have less inflammation and infection and healed better than those of uncoated catheters; however, these data did not achieve significance using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Sections of the external tunnel of well-healing exit sites showed an epithelialized tract with granulation tissue near the cuff and significant invasion of the external cuff by collagen with a mild neutrophilic inflammatory response. In contrast, the histology of the external tunnel of infected exists revealed exudate overlying inflammatory granulation tissue and a variable degree of fibrosis of the cuff. When the exit sites appeared similar, no significant histopathological differences in sinus tract and cuff morphology were noted with either silver or standard catheters. In conclusion, these findings suggest that silver coating of catheters may decrease the incidence of early exit-site infections and allow better ingrowth of the catheter.
To evaluate different methods of measuring lean body mass (LBM) in chronic peritoneal dialysis (CPD) patients, we first made comparisons in seven normal subjects. Seven methods (total body potassium [TBK] counting, bioelectrical impedance with calculations according to Segal and Deurenberg, near-infrared interactance with and without exercise level included as a variable, anthropometric measurements, and creatinine kinetics) were compared with the standard method of underwater weighing (UW) for measuring LBM. Significant correlations with LBM measured by UW (r > 0.938) were found with LBM measured by all other methods. Compared with UW, the best result in normals was found with TBK as it had high r values, small y-intercepts, and slopes of regression lines close to unity in both measurements of LBM and %LBM; in addition, fat-free mass index by TBK best approximated that by UW and TBK had the lowest mean prediction error with UW. In 11 patients on CPD, LBM was measured by all the above methods except UW. Significant correlations of all methods with LBM measured by TBK used as the reference standard were noted (all r > 0.76) in the CPD population. The LBM measured by creatinine kinetics correlated best (by kilograms or percentage of body weight [%BW]) with LBM from TBK compared with the other methods in which values tended to be higher. The fat-free mass index by creatinine output was nearest to the fat-free mass index by TBK. The root mean square prediction error was lowest between LBM by creatinine output and that by TBK. The findings support the concept of measuring creatinine outputs in CPD patients for estimates of LBM as an index of nutritional status as well as for creatinine clearances as an index of adequacy. Total body potassium and creatinine output measurements of LBM reflect the LBM at normal body fluid volumes ("dry weight") and may be better indices of nutrition in dialysis patients than the other techniques, which include excess fluid in the LBM.
Fifty-five patients on chronic peritoneal dialysis with two or more peritoneal equilibration tests (PET) performed between 1983 and 1992 with a mean interval of 21.9 +/- 22.7 months were studied retrospectively. Repeated PET were performed when transport changes were suspected rather than routinely. According to the initial PET, there were 16 high (HI), 17 high-average (HA), 15 low-average (LA), and 7 low (LO) transporters. There was a significant decrease in the mean creatinine dialysate to plasma ratio (D/P creatinine) in the HI transporters and an increase in the LA and LO transporters. The mean dialysate to instilled glucose ratio (D/Do) significantly increased in the HI transporters. The change in both the D/P creatinine and the D/Do of an individual strongly and inversely correlated to their respective initial values. The change in D/P creatinine and D/Do were significantly and inversely correlated to each other, indicating an actual transport change. No correlation was found between the change in transport with peritonitis episodes or frequencies. The centripetal [corrected] change of transport toward average described here may explain why low clearances or low ultrafiltration rates due to rapid transport are infrequent causes of peritoneal dialysis technique failure, and why patients who have been dialyzed for a long period are usually HA transporters.
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A computer interaction session conducted during the 14th Annual Peritoneal Dialysis Conference in Orlando, Florida, on January 24, 1994, revealed the preferences and practices of 650-690 respondents voting on questions related to peritoneal catheters. Compared to the surveys conducted in 1987 and 1989, the most striking change was an increase in the use of catheters with the bent intramural segment, particularly the Swan neck catheter, and an increase in the use of catheters with the coiled intraperitoneal segment. The Tenckhoff catheter continued to be the most popular, although its use was decreasing. The remaining catheters were used in small numbers. The vast majority of nephrologists remain convinced of the superiority of double cuff catheters over single cuff ones, and the use of the former continued to exceed 70%. Essentially no change occurred in the method of catheter placement; surgical dissection (72.7%) remained the most popular implantation method. Surgeons were primarily responsible for catheter implantations (87.4% of votes). The use of prophylactic antibiotics prior to catheter implantation seems to be increasing. The majority of respondents did not consider a Staphylococcus aureus nasal carrier status as important in the development of catheter-related infections, as indicated by the small number of centers where routine culture of nares was performed. The majority of institutions delayed ambulatory peritoneal dialysis after catheter implantation, but ambulatory peritoneal dialysis was started in some centers (5.7% of votes) in the immediate postimplantation period.
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Over 700 people attending the Opening Session of the Fourteenth Annual Peritoneal Dialysis Conference participated in the computer interaction exercise as keyboard responders. Responders were 50.5% nurses and 40.4% physicians. Of these, 70.4% were from North America and 19.6% were from Europe. Only 9.5% had been involved in chronic peritoneal dialysis for less than one year. Over half (56%) worked in programs with more than 30 chronic peritoneal dialysis patients. Their own personal choice of dialysis therapy was a form of chronic peritoneal dialysis in 82%. Serum albumin concentration was indicated as the main monitor of nutritional status by 79.1%. Dietary protein intake ranging from 1-1.2 was considered the preferred goal by 84.4% of responders, even though the majority of chronic peritoneal dialysis patients probably do not achieve dietary protein intake in this range. A minimum weekly KT/V urea of 1.7 was chosen as a minimum target by 53.4%. An increase in exchange volume was the most frequently chosen approach to the large, anuric, low-peritoneal transporter. Numerous other questions dealing with adequacy and nutrition were posed to the audience, and the findings are summarized herein.
This article brings attention to the need for disaster preparedness by individual dialysis facilities. It is recommended that each facility develop a specific plan for each type of disaster that might occur in the particular geographic location. It is also recommended that the community's disaster plan(s) be reviewed and incorporated in the planning process. This article addresses all aspects related to a natural disaster, including planning, drills, basic services, personnel, and the aftermath. Adequate preparation may lessen the destruction and negative consequences of a natural disaster.
Medicare regulations require follow-up home visits to home dialysis patients, yet routine home visits require a lot of personnel time. The effectiveness of home visits was evaluated by a nurse, dietitian and social worker using a questionnaire. Thirty-six patients were evaluated during an 18-month period. Collectively the team documented an average of 10 pertinent observations per visit and made an average of 4 recommendations for change. Staff members gained new information about the patient as indicated by the fact that they changed their rankings on 5 of 15 parameters following the home visit. The home visit policy that recommended an annual home visit was revised to recommend a single home visit for each new peritoneal dialysis patient. Further visits are performed only if significant problems are identified.
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A survey was developed to determine the prevalence of specific components of postoperative and chronic peritoneal catheter exit-site care procedures. Surveys were mailed to approximately 1800 participants of the 1991 Peritoneal Dialysis Conference; 585 surveys (80.6% from the United States and 96% from adult units) were analyzed. The most frequent components of postoperative exit-site care were the use of prophylactic antibiotics, daily dressing changes, procedures limited to specially trained staff, use of sterile technique, povidone iodine and hydrogen peroxide as cleansing agents, and gauze dressings. The most frequent components of chronic exit-site care procedures were daily care done with shower or bathing, antibacterial or pure soap for cleansing, hydrogen peroxide only as needed, catheter stabilization, dressings optional, and gauze dressings when used. Twice daily exit care, change in cleansing agent, and topical antibiotics were recommended for inflamed or infected exit sites. There were significant differences between the United States and other locations, particularly in the type of cleansing agent, use of hydrogen peroxide, and use of dressings for chronic care. Pediatric programs (all located in the United States or Canada) differed somewhat from adult programs in North America. Pediatric patients and their families were significantly more likely to be trained to do postoperative dressing changes and significantly less likely to perform exit-site care at the time of showering or bathing.