Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter Placement: Percutaneous and Peritoneoscopic Techniques

A New, Safe, and Effective Technique for Percutaneous Insertion of a Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter

A properly functioning peritoneal catheter is an essential element of effective peritoneal dialysis (PD). Currently, there are three techniques available for PD catheter placement, which include open surgery, laparoscopic surgery, and percutaneous catheter placement (PCP). Currently, no particular catheter placement approach has been proven with certainty to provide superior outcomes. We present a new modified PCP method with the use of the Veress needle covered with an intravascular catheter (IC) and preliminary clinical results of PD catheter placements with this new technique. The endpoints used in the study were 1-year technical survival of the catheter, and the incidence of early (1 month) mechanical as well as infection complications. The catheter was implanted in 24 patients. The catheter survival rate was 100%; however, in two cases, the catheters were removed due to complications not associated with PD treatment. No early mechanical complications such as bleeding, hematoma, perforations, internal organ damage, exit site leaks, or hernia in the place of insertion were observed. Similarly, no early infectious complications were observed. During the 1-year follow-up, no catheter migration occurred. Our results showed that the new PCP technique is a safe and easy procedure that minimizes the occurrence of both mechanical and infectious complications and ensures good catheter survival.

Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter Complications after Insertion by Surgeons, Radiologists, or Nephrologists

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT

The Advancing American Kidney Health Initiative aims to increase rates of utilization of peritoneal dialysis (PD) in the United States. One of the first steps to PD is successful catheter placement, which can be performed by surgeons, interventional radiologists, or nephrologists. We examined the association between operator subspecialty and risk of needing a follow-up procedure in the first 90 days after initial PD catheter implantation. Overall, we found that 15.5% of catheters required revision, removal, or a second catheter placement within 90 days. The odds of requiring a follow-up procedure was 36% higher for interventional radiologists and 86% higher for interventional nephrologists compared with general surgeons. Further research is needed to understand how to optimize the function of catheters across different operator types.

BACKGROUND

The US government has implemented incentives to increase the use of PD. Successful placement of PD catheters is an important step to increasing PD utilization rates. Our objective was to compare initial outcomes after PD catheter placement by different types of operators.

METHODS

We included PD-naïve patients insured by Medicare who had a PD catheter inserted between 2010 and 2019. We examined the association between specialty of the operator (general surgeon, vascular surgeon, interventional radiologist, or interventional nephrologist) and odds of needing a follow-up procedure, which we defined as catheter removal, replacement, or revision within 90 days of the initial procedure. Mixed logistic regression models clustered by operator were used to examine the association between operator type and outcomes.

RESULTS

We included 46,973 patients treated by 5205 operators (71.1% general surgeons, 17.2% vascular surgeons, 9.7% interventional radiologists, 2.0% interventional nephrologists). 15.5% of patients required a follow-up procedure within 90 days of the initial insertion, of whom 2.9% had a second PD catheter implanted, 6.6% underwent PD catheter removal, and 5.9% had a PD catheter revision within 90 days of the initial insertion. In models adjusted for patient and operator characteristics, the odds of requiring a follow-up procedure within 90 days were highest for interventional nephrologists (HR, 1.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.56 to 2.22) and interventional radiologists (odds ratio, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.17 to 1.58) followed by vascular surgeons (odds ratio, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.97 to 1.14) compared with general surgeons.

CONCLUSIONS

The probability of needing a follow-up procedure after initial PD catheter placement varied by operator specialty and was higher for interventionalists and lowest for general surgeons.

Analysis of the impact of peritoneal dialysis catheter tail-end design on catheter-related complications

OBJECTIVE

Evaluate the impact of peritoneal dialysis catheter (PDC) tail-end design variations on PDC-related complications.

METHOD

Effective data were extracted from databases. The literature was evaluated according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions, and a meta-analysis was conducted.

RESULTS

Analysis revealed that the straight-tailed catheter was superior to the curled-tailed catheter in minimizing catheter displacement and complication-induced catheter removal (RR = 1.73, 95%CI:1.18-2.53, p = 0.005). In terms of complication-induced PDC removal, the straight-tailed catheter was superior to the curled-tailed catheter (RR = 1.55, 95%CI: 1.15-2.08, p = 0.004).

CONCLUSION

Curled-tail design of the catheter increased the risk of catheter displacement and complication-induced catheter removal, whereas the straight-tailed catheter was superior to the curled-tailed catheter in terms of reducing catheter displacement and complication-induced catheter removal. However, the analysis and comparison of factors such as leakage, peritonitis, exit-site infection, and tunnel infection did not reveal a statistically significant difference between the two designs.

Outcomes of Percutaneous Peritoneal Dialysis Catheters Insertion by Interventional Radiologists: A Single-Institution Experience

Purpose This article evaluates the short- and long-term outcomes of percutaneous peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheters inserted by interventional radiology service and analyzes the factors that affect the sustainability of patent and functional PD catheters.

Patients and Methods Retrospective single-institution study between April 2015 and February 2021. A total of 131 patients (75 males) were enrolled with mean age of 50 ± 19.6 years with an average body mass index (BMI) of 28 ± 7 kg/m2. Technical and clinical success were evaluated. Catheter-related complications were classified into mechanical and nonmechanical categories, including infectious complications. Indications for removal were analyzed.

Results Technical and clinical success were 100%. The average dwelling time for the entire cohort was 497.5 ± 462.3 days. Forty-six patients (35%) were on PD at the last follow-up with an average dwelling time of 492 days. PD-related complications were reported in 79/131 (60.3%) patients, including peritonitis (40.46%; 53/131), followed by malposition/migration (12.21%; 16/131), tunnel/exit site infection (10.69%; 14/131), and dysfunction (12.21%; 16/131). The incidence of peritonitis within 30 days postinsertion was 9.43% (5/53). The average interval between insertion and migration was 100.5 ± 144.8 days (95% confidence interval, 6.9–14.4). There was a trend for a higher rate of malposition/migration in patients with higher BMI (p = 0.0561). Causes for PD catheters removal were: (1) infection-related (24.4%; 32/131), (2) renal transplant recipients (16%; 21/131), (3) mechanical complications (13.7%; 18/131), and (4) patient's preference (7.6%; 10/131).

Conclusion Percutaneous PD catheter placement by interventional radiologists provides acceptable long-term outcomes and complication rates that meet the recommended standards.