title: Management of chronic peritoneal catheter malfunction.
abstract: This paper presents a modification of Tenckhoff's insertion procedure for chronic peritoneal dialysis catheters and reviews the results of a technique of management of catheter malfunction by manipulation which obviates the need for catheter replacement. 43 catheters in 33 patients were observed for no less than 1 year. Catheters which malfunctioned within 3 weeks benefited only marginally from manipulation. In those catheters which functioned for more than 3 weeks, manipulation extended mean survival time by 103% (8.5-17.3 months) and overall survival did not differ statistically from catheters not requiring manipulation. The technique is safe and simple and contributes to the effective management of patients undergoing chronic peritoneal dialysis.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002404:Catheterization / Q000295:instrumentation; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010530:Peritoneal Dialysis / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013997:Time Factors