Peritoneal Dialysis Use in Patients With Ascites: A Review

The past few decades have seen steady increase in the prevalence of kidney failure needing kidney replacement therapy. Concomitantly, there has been progressive growth of heart failure and chronic liver disease, and many such patients develop ascites. Therefore, it is not uncommon to encounter patients with kidney failure who concurrently have ascites. The presence of ascites adds many challenges in the management of kidney failure. Poor hemodynamics make volume management difficult. The presence of coagulopathy, malnutrition, and encephalopathy compounds the complexity of the management. Such patients do not tolerate hemodialysis well. However, several concerns have limited the use of peritoneal dialysis (PD), so hemodialysis remains the predominant dialysis modality in these patients. However, observational studies have illustrated that PD provides hemodynamic stability and facilitates better volume management compared with hemodialysis. Moreover, PD obviates the need for therapeutic paracentesis by facilitating continuous drainage of ascites. PD potentially reduces hemorrhagic complications by avoiding routine anticoagulation use. Moreover, small studies have suggested that outcomes such as peritonitis and mechanical complications are comparable to those in PD patients without ascites. PD does not affect transplant candidacy, and these patients can successfully receive combined liver and kidney transplants. Hence, PD should be considered a viable dialysis option in kidney failure patients with ascites.

Fungal Peritonitis Caused by Rhodotorula mucilaginosa in a CAPD Patient Treated with Liposomal Amphotericin B: A Case Report and Literature Review

Rhodotorula mucilaginosa is a ubiquitous yeast that may cause serious peritoneal dialysis (PD) infections. A 70-year-old man receiving continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) for 6 months presented with a PD infection caused by Rhodotorula mucilaginosa The patient was treated with intravenous liposomal amphotericin B. His peritoneal catheter was simultaneously removed and reinserted. To date, only 10 cases of Rhodotorula CAPD infections have been reported. Catheters, corticoids, cancer, and previous antibiotic therapy were the main risk factors for these infections. For most patients, the peritoneal catheter was removed, leading to a definitive transfer to hemodialysis. Along with flucytosine, amphotericin B is the main antifungal that is used. Both have a lower minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), whereas fluconazole and caspofungin have the highest MICs. We highlighted the efficacy of liposomal amphotericin B associated with simultaneous withdrawal and reinsertion of a peritoneal catheter in a case of Rhodotorula peritonitis in a CAPD patient. Further studies are needed to evaluate the treatment of this condition.

Epidemiology of Rhodotorula: an emerging pathogen

This is an updated paper focusing on the general epidemiological aspects of Rhodotorula in humans, animals, and the environment. Previously considered nonpathogenic, Rhodotorula species have emerged as opportunistic pathogens that have the ability to colonise and infect susceptible patients. Rhodotorula species are ubiquitous saprophytic yeasts that can be recovered from many environmental sources. Several authors describe the isolation of this fungus from different ecosystems, including sites with unfavourable conditions. Compared to R. mucilaginosa, R. glutinis and R. minuta are less frequently isolated from natural environments. Among the few references to the pathogenicity of Rhodotorula spp. in animals, there are several reports of an outbreak of skin infections in chickens and sea animals and lung infections and otitis in sheep and cattle. Most of the cases of infection due to Rhodotorula in humans were fungemia associated with central venous catheter (CVC) use. The most common underlying diseases included solid and haematologic malignancies in patients who were receiving corticosteroids and cytotoxic drugs, the presence of CVC, and the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics. Unlike fungemia, some of the other localised infections caused by Rhodotorula, including meningeal, skin, ocular, peritoneal, and prosthetic joint infections, are not necessarily linked to the use of CVCs or immunosuppression.

Peritonitis due to Blastobotrys proliferans in a patient undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis

Blastobotrys proliferans is an ascomycetous yeast never previously reported as a human pathogen. Here we report a case of peritonitis due to Blastobotrys proliferans in a 46-year-old man undergoing peritoneal dialysis.