Efficacy and outcome of intermittent peritoneal dialysis in patients with acute kidney injury: A single-center experience.

There are only a few reports on the role of peritoneal dialysis (PD) in critically ill patients requiring continuous renal replacement therapies (RRT). This study aimed to determine the efficacy and outcome of intermittent PD in acute kidney injury (AKI) patients in intensive care unit setting and to assess the procedure-related complications. This was a prospective, observational study conducted from March 1, 2015, to February 29, 2016, which included patients of either sex, aged ≥18 years, diagnosed with AKI, and undergoing RRT with intermittent PD sessions with more than 48 h of hospital stay. Patients were later shifted to sustained low- efficiency dialysis or hemodialysis, when they became hemodynamically stable. Hence, the patients who received at least 48 h of PD were included in the study. A total of 75 patients were enrolled. Overall, the mean age was 55.75 years, and around 64% were men. The most common indication to start PD was metabolic acidosis, and the most common cause of AKI was sepsis. A total of 21 patients survived, and the mortality rate was 72%. The average peritoneal urea clearance and creatinine clearance were 14.81 mL/min and 12.59 mL/min, respectively. Of the 66 patients on inotropes, 28 patients were tapered from inotropic support. Thirty-nine patients had hyperkalemia, and 27 patients had correction within 1 day of the start of PD. Forty-seven patients had correction of acidosis, and 33 of these achieved pH ≥7.25 within one day of PD. The most common complication that occurred was peri-catheter leaks followed by peritonitis. Acute PD can be an effective, simple, and safe bridge RRT in hemodynamically unstable patients until the achievement of hemodynamic stability to shift them to other modalities of RRT.