Strategies for improving long-term survival in peritoneal dialysis patients

The incidence and prevalence of ESRD in the United States continues to increase. Currently there are over 26,000 patients maintained on peritoneal dialysis. Mortality rates have fallen over the past several years, but long-term survival remains poor, with only 11% of peritoneal dialysis patients surviving past 10 years. Cardiovascular disease accounts for most deaths, and dialysis patients have many traditional and nontraditional cardiovascular risk factors. Lowering of these risk factors has not resulted in reduced cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in dialysis patients. Maneuvers to improve long-term peritoneal dialysis patient survival must therefore focus on modifiable risk factors including residual renal function, peritoneal membrane integrity, rate of infections, and peritoneal dialysis center size. This article reviews strategies for preserving residual renal function and peritoneal membrane integrity as well as strategies for reducing the rate of infections to enhance long-term survival in peritoneal dialysis patients.