Advanced Treatment of Refractory Congestive Heart Failure by Peritoneal Ultrafiltration with Icodextrin in Patients without End-Stage Renal Disease

Abstract

In patients with Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), neurohormonal activation leads to fluid overload that can be treated with high doses of furosemide unless diuretic resistance and hyponatremia develop. End-stage CHF, including patients with normal or slightly deteriorated kidney function, can resist medical treatment. In some cases of refractory CHF, ultrafiltration (UF) is required. To manage a refractory CHF population, extracorporeal UF is commonly used as an emergency treatment, but peritoneal UF should be considered a follow-up therapy option. This method offers potential advantages over extracorporeal therapies, including better preservation of residual renal function, tighter control of sodium balance, less neurohumoral activation, and the possibility of daily treatment in the home environment. Using glucose as an osmotic agent leads to the deterioration of the peritoneal membrane. The UF properties of icodextrin depend on the dwell time, whereby the maximum effect of icodextrin concerning glucose is achieved at a prolonged dwell time. Icodextrin may offer improved peritoneal membrane biocompatibility compared with conventional glucose-based dialysates by decreasing glucose exposure, iso-osmolarity, and reduced carbonyl stress. The proper anesthesia technique and surgical approach for peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter placement in CHF patients must be based on the patient’s characteristics, available equipment, and surgeon’s experience. An open procedure using a transversus abdominis plane block for PD catheter placement in patients with CHF is strongly recommended.