Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis in children

Fifteen children with end-stage renal failure (ESRF) were treated with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) in the Children's Hospital Temple Street Dublin between July 1984 and December 1988. These fifteen children had 150.5 treatment months, an average of 10.03 treatment months for each child. The children grew well during CAPD at an average of 0.59 cm per month. Blood pressure control was satisfactory with five out of 15 children requiring antihypertensive treatment during CAPD. The main complications of CAPD were peritonitis and catheter related problems. These 15 children experienced 47 episodes of peritonitis during 150.5 treatment months on CAPD with an average of one episode every 3.2 treatment months. Two of these children had a very high frequency of peritonitis (16 and 13 episodes each). If we exclude them from analysis, the remaining 13 children had frequency of one episode every 5.7 treatment months. During 150.5 treatment months, ten children required catheter replacement that is one catheter every 15 treatment months. One child died of candida peritonitis and to date twelve have proceeded to renal transplantation.