Percutaneous insertion of peritoneal dialysis catheter is a safe and effective technique irrespective of BMI

Abstract

Background. A large body mass index (BMI) has been considered as a relative contraindication for percutaneous catheter insertion , although this technique has many advantages. Up to now, there are few studies on peritoneal catheter placement and obesity. The aim of this study was to determine whether patients with large BMI can also choose the percutaneous technique for peritoneal dialysis catheter insertion. Methods. 187 consecutive patients underwent peritoneal catheter insertions in the Chinese PLA General Hospital between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2016, with 178 eligible cases being included in the analysis. Two groups were created based on the catheter insertion techniques, the percutaneous group (group P) and the surgical group (group S). Subgroups were created according to BMI>28 or≤28. The outcomes included catheter related complications and catheter survival. Results. Total infectious complication rates were significantly lower in group P than in group S. The late peritonitis rates tended to be lower in group P than in group S, although the difference was not significant. There were no significant differences in all other measured complications between the two groups. Though the one-year infection-free catheter survival in group P was 7.5% higher than group S, the difference was not significant. The one-year dysfunction-free catheter survival, one-year dysfunction-and-infection-free catheter survival, and overall catheter survival were similar between the two groups. Subgroup analyses showed a superior one-year infection-free catheter survival of percutaneous technique in patients with BMI>28, which was confirmed by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Conclusions. Despite the challenges that may be encountered with patients who have a large BMI, the percutaneous technique is a safe and effective approach to placing a peritoneal dialysis catheter.