Aseptic peritonitis secondary to myocardial infarction

Three percent to 30% of the episodes of peritonitis occurring in patients undergoing chronic peritoneal dialysis are culture-negative or aseptic. The etiology of these episodes remains poorly defined, though endotoxin-contaminated dialysates and fastidious anaerobic organisms occasionally have been implicated. We treated a patient who had fever, epigastric pain, and peritoneal fluid neutrophilic leukocytosis while undergoing chronic peritoneal dialysis. Despite multiple negative pretherapy aerobic, anaerobic, fungal, and mycobacterial cultures, bacterial peritonitis was the presumptive diagnosis. At postmortem examination, there were no findings to suggest infectious peritonitis; however, myocardial infarction with pericarditis was noted. We conclude that myocardial infarction should be included in the differential diagnosis of aseptic peritonitis in the patient undergoing peritoneal dialysis.