Chronic peritoneal dialysis in children -: Results of the Vienna pediatric dialysis department

Background. Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) has been increasingly used as primary renal replacement therapy in children over the last 10 years. The aim of this study was to investigate complications of PD and compare the collected data with our own historical data and data from the literature. Patients and methods: 33 children (17 boys, mean age 4,9 years) who underwent PD for the first time due to chronic renal failure between 1994 and 2003 were enrolled in this retrospective survey. Results: 398 months on PD in total, with a mean time of 12 months per patient were investigated. The occurrence rate of peritonitis was one per 14,2 months and for exit-site-infection one per 13,2 months. 23 children underwent renal transplantation, one child was switched to hemodialysis, two children died (one because of PD-unrelated circumstances), reflecting a 1-year survival rate of 94%. Conclusions: Peritoneal dialysis has become the most frequently used modality of renal replacement therapy in children, with a trend towards smaller children and infants. PD can be managed safely and successfully in children of all age groups, including even newborns.