Kt/V or Bicarbonate: What Is More Important for Growth in Pediatric Peritoneal Dialysis Patients?

Abstract

Introduction: Growth retardation is a common problem in pediatric patients with chronic kidney disease. It is unknown if the growth of children on peritoneal dialysis (PD) can be augmented by more dialysis. Methods: We studied the effect of various peritoneal adequacy parameters on delta height standard deviation scores (SDSs) and growth velocity z-scores in 53 children (27 males) on PD, who underwent 2 longitudinal adequacy tests at 9-month intervals. None of the patients were on growth hormone. Intraperitoneal pressure and standard KDOQI guidelines were compared to the outcome measures delta height SDS and height velocity z-scores, using univariate and multivariate tests. Results: At the time of the second PD adequacy test, their mean age was 9.2 ± 5.3 years; mean fill volume was 961 ± 254 mL/m2; and median total infused dialysate volume was 5.26 L/m2/day (range 2.03–15.32 L). The median total weekly Kt/V was 3.79 (range 0.9–9.5), and the median total creatinine clearance was 56.6 (range 7.6–133.48) L/week, higher than previous pediatric studies. The delta height SDS was a median of −0.12 (range −2 to +3.95)/year. The mean height velocity z-score was −1.6 ± 4.0. The only relationships discovered were between the delta height SDS and age, bicarbonate, and intraperitoneal pressure, but not for Kt/V or creatinine clearance. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the importance of normalization of bicarbonate concentrations to improve height z-score.