Peritoneal dialysis (PD)-associated peritonitis rates have decreased over time, according to a study published in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases. Eric W. Young, MD, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study of PD-associated peritonitis to characterize trends and identify clinical risk factors. Patients receiving PD during 2013-2017 who were covered by Medicare fee-forservice were included. Among 396,289 peritonitis claims, 70,271 episodes were identified. Episodes of peritonitis were frequently identified by multiple aggregated claims; episodes had a mean of 5.6 claims and median of 2.0 claims. Overall, 40% and 9% of episodes were exclusively outpatient and exclusively inpatient, respectively, and 16% were exclusively based on codes that do not clearly distinguish peritonitis from catheter infections/ inflammations. The overall rate of peritonitis was 0.54 episodes per patient-year. “We did not explore the reasons for declining peritonitis rates in our study, but several factors could be involved, including practice guidelines adherence, provider experience, and improvements in PD equipment,” wrote Dr. Young and colleagues.
