Vertical Tunnel-based Low-site Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter Implantation Decreases the Incidence of Catheter Malfunction

Abstract

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is often complicated by catheter dysfunction. We designed a PD catheter implantation technique to reduce catheter dysfunction. Between June 2008 and 2012, 89 patients with end-stage renal disease were enrolled into a prospective study and randomly assigned to receive traditional catheter implantation by open surgery (n = 41) or vertical tunnel-based low-site PD catheter implantation (n = 48). Both procedures used Baxter straight double-cuffed Tenckhoff catheters. The novel implantation technique involves a low-site (7 cm above the midpoint of the pubic symphysis), individually tailored intra-abdominal segment, and increased vertical subcutaneous tunnel. Patients were followed for 1-year after procedure. The vertical tunnel-based low-site method implanted catheters were 3.7 ± 0.9 cm long, with an 11.3 ± 0.9 cm intra-abdominal segment. The incidence of postoperative bleeding, PD fluid leakage, outer cuff extrusion, inflow or outflow pain, peritonitis, tunnel inflammation, or exit-site infection did not differ significantly between the two surgical techniques; however, the incidence of catheter displacement and non-catheter displacement malfunctions after the novel technique (4.2%) was significantly lower than that in traditional open surgery (19.5%, P < 0.05). In conclusions, vertical tunnel-based low-site PD catheter implantation can significantly reduce the occurrence of PD catheter malfunction, particularly catheter displacement.