Peritoneal dialysate fill-volumes and hernia development in a cohort of peritoneal dialysis patients

A retrospective case control study was performed on a cohort of 244 peritoneal dialysis patients followed over 5 years to determine whether dialysate fill-volume was associated with hernia development. The laboratory and clinical parameters of patients who developed hernias during this time period were compared with those of patients who did not develop hernias. Information on 27 patients who developed hernias was compared with that on 217 patients who did not develop hernias. Dialysate fill-volume was similar between groups (2.2 +/- .3 L for patients with hernias vs. 2.2 +/- .3 L for controls). Three patients with fill-volumes of 1.5 L developed hernias, and no patients with fill-volumes of 3 L developed hernias. Age, duration of time on dialysis, and body surface area were also similar between groups. This investigation could not find a relationship between fill-volume and hernia formation. From this study it would appear that physicians should not hesitate to increase fill-volume based on concerns of hernia development.