Successful use of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis in octogenarians

Clinical data and outcomes of 18 patients, aged 80 or older, on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) during the last five years were reviewed. There were 12 males and 6 females, with a mean age of 85 (range 82-91 years) and median duration on CAPD of 31.5 months (range 2-58 months). End-stage renal disease was caused by nephrosclerosis in 9, diabetes mellitus and light chain disease in 2 each, and chronic glomerulonephritis, membranous nephropathy, and IgA nephropathy in 1 each, with the cause unknown in yet another 2 patients. Hypertension and angina were the commonest comorbid conditions observed. Peritonitis episodes occurred one per 10.8 patient-months, and necessitated catheter removal in 7 patients and reinsertion in 6 of them. Fourteen episodes of exit-site infections were seen in 8 patients, 2 developed pericatheter leak, and 1 had tunnel infection. Nine patients are continuing CAPD successfully, with a median duration of 29 months (range 11-57 months). One patient was transferred to hemodialysis, and 8 died. The causes of death were peritonitis (3/8), cerebrovascular accident (2/8), pneumonia (1/8), and septicemia (1/8), with the cause not known in 1 patient. Our survival rate of 80% at three years is encouraging, and we advocate CAPD as a successful alternative treatment modality in octogenarians.