Comparison of Swan neck catheter with Tenckhoff catheter for CAPD.

To decrease the incidence of exit-site infection, the Swan neck catheter has been used since 1991. Twenty-six patients received Swan neck catheter implants over the past three years. Fifteen patients suffered from exit-site infections and 2 of them developed tunnel infections. The incidence of exit-site or tunnel infections in the Swan neck group revealed no difference from those patients receiving Tenckhoff tube implants (n = 154). Two patients in the Swan neck group and 8 in the Tenckhoff group had tube migrations. There was no difference between the two groups. No patient in the Swan neck group suffered from cuff extrusion or pericatheter leakage, while 9 in the Tenckhoff group suffered from cuff extrusions and 5 had pericatheter leakages. The cumulative catheter survival rates at one, two, and three years in the Swan neck group were 90.9%, 80.2%, and 67.9%, while those in the Tenckhoff group were 84.7%, 67.9%, and 54%. We conclude that the patients receiving Swan neck catheter implantations had a lower incidence of cuff extrusion and pericatheter leakage, and better catheter survival, though the incidence of exit-site/tunnel infection and tube migration was no better than in the Tenckhoff catheter group.