New acute peritoneal dialysis technique: wire-guide insertion and long-term indwelling of peritoneal catheter

This paper presents the application of wire-guide insertion of peritoneal dialysis catheter. 30 patients who required acute peritoneal dialysis were treated using a total of 37 peritoneal catheters with the wire-guide method. The catheters were left in place as long as possible (periods totalling 644 days in all). The complication of insertion was minor bleeding with blood-tinged dialysate that tended to clear spontaneously in a few days. Leakage occurred in 17 indwelling catheters but did not occur on the days of insertion. There were 3 episodes of clinical peritonitis, so the infection rate was 1 episode every 7 patient-months. This technique is safer and simpler, i.e. the incidence of peritonitis is lower in long-term indwelling catheters, and so it will contribute to the wider and earlier utilization of peritoneal dialysis.