title: Long term peritoneal dialysis in an anuric preterm infant - a futile treatment?
abstract: The primarily anuric very low birth weight infant (VLBWI) is an ethical challenge for the attending doctor as well as for the parents. Long term peritoneal dialysis (PD) might provide an acceptable way in treating a primarily anuric VLBWI prior to kidney transplantation without endangering the child's neurologic development. We report a case of a VLBWI born at 30 weeks gestational age after anhydramnion for 5 weeks. Postnatally the neonate had persisting anuria and was successfully treated with peritonealdialysis for 31 months followed by hemodialysis for 12 months and eventually received a renal transplantion at the age of 43 months.
authors.affiliation: General Pediatrics and Neonatology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Feulgenstraße 12, 35390 Giessen, Germany. dirk.faas@paediat.med.uni-giessen.de
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Faas
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Klauwer
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Klaus
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zerres
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Neuhäuser
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heckmann
mesh_terms: D001002:Anuria / Q000628:therapy*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis; D004750:Enteral Nutrition; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; D007677:Kidney Function Tests; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008134:Long-Term Care; D018447:Medical Futility; D010530:Peritoneal Dialysis / Q000379:methods*; D011247:Pregnancy; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D012151:Resuscitation