Prevention and Treatment of Peritoneal Dialysis-Related Infections

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is an effective and widely used form of renalreplacement therapy and accounts for 15–50% of renal replace-ment therapy for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD).The longevity of PD and its broader uptake are reduced by the risk of PD-related infections [1]. The overall incidence of peritonitisis about one episode for every 19 patient months on PD [2], al-though this figure ranges from 1 in every 9.1 to 1 in every 27.9patient– months [3–5]. Peritonitis tends to be recurrent, with a very high rate of relapse (approximately 0.5 episodes/patient/year)[6]. Risk factors for developing peritonitis include advancing age [7,8], some ethnic groups [9,10], comorbidities such as diabetes and obesity [11], tropical climates [12,13], depression [14], nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus[15,16], and presence of exit site infections. Catheter design, implantation technique, and connection methodology also modulate the risk of peritonitis. It is unclearwhether PD modality (continuous ambulatory PD [CAPD] or automated PD [APD]) affects peritonitis rates [17,18].