Peritoneal Dialysis Exit-Site Infections Increase Peritonitis Risk.

Patients on peritoneal dialysis who experienced an exit-site infection caused by Gram-positive bacteria had a 75% increased risk for subsequent peritonitis compared with patients who did not have an exit-site infection. A Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation study of 962 patients who started dialysis between 2000 and 2009 found that infections caused by coagulase-negativeStaphylococcus or Staphylococcus aureus were also associated with increased risks for peritonitis, but Gram-negative and culture-negative infections were not. Increased peritonitis risks associated with infections were present despite appropriate treatment with antibiotics.