Persistence of positive dialysate cultures after apparent cure of CAPD peritonitis

Clinical features, diagnosis and outcomes of persistently positive dialysate culture (PPDC) after apparent cure of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) peritonitis were investigated in 16 PPDC episodes observed in 16 elderly (age 62 +/- 8 years) men who had been on CAPD for 14 +/- 9 months. Seven patients (46.7%) were diabetic. Peritonitis was caused by S. aureus in 14 cases and S. epidermidis in 2 cases. Preexisting or simultaneous infectious foci were present in 15 cases, exit-site infection in 5, tunnel infection in 13, and intra-abdominal abscess in 2 cases. Indium scans were positive in 6/9 cases (67%). Two patients died with the peritoneal catheter in situ, one from intercurrent myocardial infarction and one from S. aureus sepsis with pneumonia. In another 14 cases the peritoneal catheters were removed because of either tunnel abscess (8 cases) or peritonitis recurrence (6 cases). PPDC following apparent cure of CAPD peritonitis is almost always associated with exit-site, tunnel, or intra-abdominal abscess and leads invariably to catheter loss. Associated mortality is substantial.