LONG-TERM RESULTS OF CONTINUOUS AMBULATORY PERITONEAL-DIALYSIS - THE 1ST 100 PATIENTS - A SINGLE-CENTER STUDY

In the present survey our experience on the first 100 patients on CAPD , treated from the start in 1982 till September 1991, is described. Si xteen were diabetics. Both the absolute numbers and the proportion of the total dialysis population have increased almost every year. Mean a ge did not change over the years due to an equilibrium between younger patients who received a transplant and elderly who stopped CAPD for o ther reasons. Patient survival at 3 years was 68%. Seventy patients st opped CAPD, of whom 25 died and 16 switched to haemodialysis. Twenty-f our patients received a transplant, patient and transplant survival at 3 years being 89% and 77% respectively. Fifteen patients have had a f ollow-up period of 3 years or more, the longest being 123 months curre ntly. Seventy-three CAPD-related complications occurred, the majority catheter-related. After the introduction of a 'break-in' period a sign ificant reduction in leakage alongside the catheter was observed. In r ecent years there was a dramatic decrease in the incidence of CAPD-rel ated peritonitis, from once every 8 to once every 30 months, which cou ld be attributed mainly to the introduction of a new disconnect system in our centre, the so-called 'Twinbag'.