Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter Function

The straight Tenckhoff catheter (sT) is the most common used catheter for peritoneal dialysis (PD). A new, more expensive, self-locating catheter (sLC) has been developed by Di Paolo. The investigators had used both in parallel for several years. To clarify what catheter to focus on in the future the investigators performed a comparative study to clarify if outflow problems differed between these catheters.

Study design: interventional and randomized at the same hospital Patients: Patients that were planned to start PD were informed and asked to participate in the randomized study. All patients who were asked accepted and consented to be included in the investigation.

At the investigators hospital, insertion of pertitnoean dialysis catheters is performed by open surgery. This is performed using a three layer suture technique performed in local anesthesia. The technique enables immediate start of dialysis after surgery.

Outflow problems were defined as a delay of flow of more than 40 minutes for 500ml of PD fluid.

The duration of time was calculated by months on PD. Patients who died, were transplanted or changed for hemodialysis were censored. End-point was an insufficient drainage/flow of dialysis fluid that unabled adequate dialysis and intervention (by surgery) was necessary to correct/change catheter.

Statistical analyses used were Breslow test and Kaplan Meier survival curve.

Inclusion criteria

• All consecutive patients that are eligible and planned to start peritoneal dialysis and thereafter accept to be part of the study.

Exclusion criteria

• None