Prospective Comparison of Downward and Lateral Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter Tunnel-Tract and Exit-Site Directions

Objective Guidelines for optimal peritoneal dialysis access support both downward and lateral exit-site directions. Numerous clinical reports support the superiority of downward exit sites but none substantiate lateral configurations. Methods This prospective study compared infectious and mechanical complications between 85 catheters with a preformed arcuate bend to produce a downward exit site and 93 catheters with a straight intercuff segment configured to create a lateral exit site. Results Kaplan–Meier survivals were not different for time to first exit-site infection ( p = 0.62), tunnel infection ( p = 0.89), or peritonitis ( p = 0.38) for downward and lateral exit-site directions. Poisson regression showed no differences in rates (episodes/patient-year) of exit-site infection (0.26 vs 0.27, p = 0.86), tunnel infection (0.02 vs 0.03, p = 0.79), peritonitis (0.42 vs 0.43, p = 0.87), or catheter loss (0.06 vs 0.09, p = 0.29) for downward and lateral exit sites. Kaplan–Meier analyses of antibiotic-free intervals for exit-site ( p = 0.94) and peritonitis infections ( p = 0.72) were not different for the two groups. There was one case of catheter tip displacement with flow dysfunction in each group. There were no pericatheter hernias or spontaneous cuff extrusions. Catheter survival between groups was not different ( p = 0.20). Conclusions Catheter types employing downward and lateral tunnel-tract and exit-site configurations produce equivalent outcomes for infectious and mechanical complications.