What are the risks of infection with Peritoneal Dialysis compared with Hemodialysis?
The overall incidence of infection among patients with PD is no greater than among patients with HD. According to data collected by USRDS, patients on PD are significantly less likely to have dialysis-associated bacteremia or sepsis, a complication almost completely associated with HD. Conversely, the most serious infection and one almost exclusively occurring in patients on PD is peritonitis. Technical advances in the past decade around “patient-to-dialysate connectology” and infection control strategies have reduced the peritonitis infection rates markedly. While infection-related hospitalizations rates are higher for patients on PD than for those on HD, this is likely related to the ability to treat infections for the HD population in the dialysis outpatient setting using a permanent vascular access. Notwithstanding, in recent years, infection-related hospitalizations have declined more among patients on PD than among those on HD.
