Pull technique versus open surgical removal of the catheter for peritoneal dialysis: a retrospective cohort study

The open surgical technique (OST) is the main modality for peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter removal; however, the pull technique (PT) is emerging as a minimally invasive alternative. At present, the safety and relative equivalence of PT and OST are unclear.

In this retrospective study, we reviewed the medical records of consecutive patients who underwent PD catheter removal via PT or OST at the Xinyang Central Hospital from April 2015 to October 2019. Complication-free survival (CFS) and surgical outcomes 365 days after PD catheter removal were evaluated and compared between groups.

The PD catheter was removed in 89 patients. The final sample of 80 patients was selected based on eligibility for inclusion and exclusion criteria. Ten patients experienced complications (PT group, n = 2; OST group, n = 8), including death (n = 6), dialysate leak (n = 3), and incisional dehiscence (n = 1). Epidemiological and preoperative clinical characteristics were similar in all patients. Kaplan-Meier plots for CFS revealed significant differences in prognostic outcomes between the groups. Multivariate analysis revealed that CFS was similar in both groups (with OST as a reference; hazard ratio, 0.21; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.03-1.27; P = 0.09). We observed significant differences in the operative time, blood loss, operative pain score, and anesthetic use between the groups (all P < 0.001). The length and cost of hospitalization were similar in both the groups.

PT is superior to OST in terms of blood loss, anesthetic use, operative pain score, and operating time without sacrificing safety and survival benefits.