Nursing practice related to peritoneal catheter exit site care and infections.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to obtain information from nephrology nurses on existing policies and protocols related to peritoneal catheter exit site care and treatment of exit site infections.
Design: This was an explorative, descriptive study.
Sample/setting: Fifty-four nurses who attended the 1995 Consensus Conference on Peritoneal Dialysis at the 26th Annual American Nephrology Nurses' Association National Symposium completed a survey questionnaire on exit site care and management of exit site infections.
Methods: A survey was mailed to nephrology nurses preregistered to attend the 1995 ANNA Consensus Conference related to peritoneal dialysis at the 26th National Symposium. Surveys were also collected at the meeting.
Results: Hydrogen peroxide and povidone iodine are frequently used in the nursing care of both healing and chronic exit sites. Almost all of the dialysis units require patients to stabilize or secure the catheter. The majority of respondents had a standardized method of assessing exit sites. Risk factors for exit site infections are presented for both the immediate post-catheter insertion period and the well-healed exit site. There were many different combinations of cleansing agents used to treat inflamed and infected exit sites.
Conclusions: Procedures for exit site care vary widely. Prospective, randomized studies of exit site care protocols and cleansing agents are necessary to determine the most effective procedures to promote healthy exit sites.