Early Bacteriological Diagnosis of Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis Peritonitis with the Use of a Cytocentrifuge

Abstract

Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) has been used as a reliable treatment of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) for more than 10 years.⁽¹⁾ However, peritonitis remains the most frequent complication and cause of failure of the method.⁽²⁾ Although several useful blind schemes of antibiotic therapy have been used,^(3,4) an early bacteriological diagnosis is very important for a more rational treatment. According to Vas,⁽⁵⁾ the use of routine bacteriological techniques does not allow identification of the etiological organisms in 30–40% of cases. In addition, the use of more specialized bacteriological methods are cumbersome and expensive, thus limiting their use routinely. In the present study, we show the experience with a cytocentrifuge developed in our laboratory in order to establish an earlier bacteriological diagnosis of CAPD peritonitis.