How long can patients stay on Peritoneal Dialysis?
There is no defined time limit to a patient being able to stay on PD. Technique survival of patients treated with PD (defined as the proportion of patients who remain on PD and have not transferred to HD) is highly variable (45% to 84% after 3 years of therapy and 25% to 75% after 5 years of therapy), given large local and regional differences in PD catheter placement expertise, peritonitis rates, preservation of peritoneal transport function, transplantation rates, and supportive home assistance. To some extent, lack of evidence-based international care standards, or of adherence to them, has contributed to this variation. Introduction of the Peritoneal Dialysis Outcomes Practice Patterns Study (PDOPPS) in 2013 should hopefully provide some solution at least to identification of best practice. Adequate nutritional intake, maintenance of a normal volume status, avoidance of infection, and reducing patient care burden are key elements to successful longevity (technique survival) on PD.
