Current epidemiology and practice patterns in prevention and treatment of PD-related infections in Poland

Area of Science:

• Nephrology
• Infectious Diseases
• Public Health

Background:

• Peritoneal dialysis (PD) infections can lead to technique failure and mortality.
• Understanding PD infection epidemiology and prevention is crucial for patient outcomes.
• Current International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis (ISPD) recommendations guide infection management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the epidemiology, treatment, and outcomes of PD-related infections in Poland.
• To assess practice patterns for preventing infectious complications in PD patients.
• To evaluate adherence to current ISPD recommendations in Polish PD centers.

Main Methods:

• A multicenter survey of PD practices related to infectious complications was conducted in 11 Polish PD centers.
• Epidemiology of peritonitis and exit-site infections (ESI) was analyzed over a two-year period for all patients.
• Data from 559 PD patients, with 62.4% on continuous ambulatory PD (CAPD), were included.

Main Results:

• The peritonitis rate was 0.29 episodes per year at risk, with Gram-positive bacteria as the most common cause (>50%), effectively treated in 85.8%.
• The exit-site infection (ESI) rate was low at 0.1 episodes per year at risk, with Staphylococcus aureus most frequent; 78.3% achieved full recovery.
• Most centers followed ISPD guidelines for diagnosis and treatment but rarely provided antifungal prophylaxis; topical mupirocin was not routinely used for ESI prevention.

Conclusions:

• Polish PD centers demonstrate successful outcomes in preventing and treating PD-associated infections.
• High compliance with ISPD guidelines contributes significantly to positive outcomes.
• Some deviations in practice patterns from ISPD recommendations were noted, suggesting areas for further investigation and guideline refinement.