Characteristics of long-term peritoneal dialysis patients

The records of 734 peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients trained at our center between January 1983 and December 1991 were reviewed, and those who had been on PD more than 5 years were selected to study the characteristics common to long-term survivors. We obtained the following results: 22 patients (3%) remained on PD for more than 5 years and 6 patients for more than 8 years (0.8%). Of these, 59.1% were males and 55% white with a mean age of 41.3 +/- 15.1 years and weight 71.1 +/- 14.7 kg. The causes of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) were: diabetes 31.8%, glomerulonephritis 36.4%, and nephrosclerosis 22.7%. The average peritonitis rate was 0.46 episodes/year and hospitalization 4.13 +/- 3.70 days/ year. After 3 years of PD all patients were essentially anuric. The mean 4-hour D/Purea = 0.94 +/- 0.01 and D/Pcreatinine = 0.68 +/- 0.03. Weekly Kpt/Vurea improved from 1.61 to 1.82, Kcreatinine from 40 to 45 L/1.73 m2, and dialysate volume from 11.6 to 14.1 L/day. The normalized catabolic protein rate (NPCR) remained stable at 0.7 g/kg/day. Serum albumin concentrations (SACs) averaged 3.5 g/dL and did not show a trend with time. Weights revealed marked variation with a mean group gain of 3.4 +/- 0.85 kg. Social support was excellent in 19 patients, and 20 were very compliant. Thirteen patients remain on PD, 4 expired, 1 received a transplant, and 4 transferred to hemodialysis. In conclusion, PD can maintain life for prolonged periods of time in the absence of renal function. Longterm survivors are typically of average size, enjoy stable and average peritoneal transport, good social support, remain compliant with therapy, and experience infrequent peritonitis. New PD modalities capable of delivering higher doses and adjustment of prescription based on residual renal function, peritoneal transport, and metabolic needs should increase the proportion of long-term survivors.