Introduction: The infectious syndrome associated with peritoneal dialysis is the most important complication of this substitution method of the renal function, also being the main cause of method failure. Refractory peritonitis can cause real problems in the differential diagnosis with secondary peritonitis, which can delay the surgical intervention and endanger the patient's life.
Materials and methods: The patients with an end stage renal disease under peritoneal dialysis, who were admitted to "I. Juvara" Surgical Clinic of "Dr. I. Cantacuzino" Clinical Hospital, between 2007 and 2011, were retrospectively analyzed for catheter removal/ replacement due to infectious complications or ultrafiltration failure.
Results: 55 patients were identified: 33 with infectious complications (exit-site, tunnel infections 4 and peritonitis 29) and 22 with loss of peritoneum ultrafiltration capacity. The patients with ultrafiltration failure had a longer duration of PD and a smaller number of peritonitic episodes (0.28 episodes/ year at risk in the ultrafiltration failure group vs. 0.98, in the group of infectious complications). The removal of the catheter was the only surgical procedure performed for the patients with ultrafiltration failure, while the patients with peritonitis needed additional gestures like an exploratory laparotomy with peritoneal lavage and drainage and adhesiolysis in the majority of cases. In the group with infectious complications, 4 patients died: 2 by multisystem organ failure due to prolonged sepsis, one developed an upper gastrointestinal bleeding followed by respiratory insufficiency and one had in cataclysmic gastrointestinal bleeding which rapidly led to death.
Conclusions: The immediate operative approach for an infectious peritoneal syndrome under peritoneal dialysis is seldom necessary. The surgical observation is absolutely mandatory in every case. The absence of a response to the proper medical treatment is an indication of peritoneal cavity exploration including laparoscopy/ laparotomy. Any delay in the diagnosis and definitive treatment gives an extremely high mortality rate.
Keywords: peritoneal dialysis; peritonitis; tunnel infections; ultrafiltration failure.