Survival Rates in Elderly Patients on Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis

Abstract

Purpose

The present study aimed at evaluating the survival rate, its associated factors, and the causes of death in elderly patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) in Vietnam.

Patients and Methods

This is a retrospective, observational study conducted among patients aged ≥65 years who underwent CAPD at Thong Nhat Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from April 2012 to December 2020. The Kaplan–Meier method was used to calculate the cumulative survival rate, and the Log rank test was used to analyze the factors associated with the survival rate of patients.

Results

This study enrolled a total of 68 patients with a mean age of 71.93 ± 7.44 years at the initiation of CAPD. The most common complication among kidney failure patients was diabetic nephropathy (39.71%). The rate of concomitant cardiovascular diseases was 58.82%. The average survival rate was 45.59 ± 4.01 months. Peritonitis was the most common factor causing death (31.25%), followed by cardiovascular diseases (28.12%) and malnutrition (25%). The factors that impacted the survival rate included concomitant cardiovascular diseases, low serum albumin (<35 g/dL), and an indication of CAPD due to exhausted vascular access for hemodialysis at baseline. The main factor associated with a shorter survival time was concomitant cardiovascular diseases.

Conclusion

It is necessary to improve the survival time beyond 5 years for elderly patients undergoing CAPD, especially for those with concomitant cardiovascular diseases. Besides the prevention of peritonitis, adequate measures to protect from cardiovascular diseases and malnutrition will reduce the mortality rate in patients on CAPD.

Keywords:

• CAPD
• elderly
• Vietnamese
• concomitant diseases
• cardiovascular diseases

Abbreviations

CAPD, Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis; HD, Hemodialysis; QoL, Quality of life; RRT, Renal replacement therapy; WBC, White blood cells.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank BioQuest Solutions for the editorial assistance that was funded by Baxter. The authors also thank Kevin Moses for reviewing and revising the manuscript. We are indebted to the nephrologists and nurses at the Department of Nephrology and Dialysis, Thong Nhat Hospital, for their collaboration in this study.

We are indebted to the nephrologists and nurses at the Department of Nephrology and Dialysis, Thong Nhat Hospital, for their collaboration in this study.

Author Contributions

All the authors made a significant contribution to the work reported, whether in the study conception, design, execution, acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation, or in all of these areas; participated in drafting, revising or critically reviewing the article; provided a final approval of the version to be published; agreed on the journal to which the article has been submitted; and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Additional information

Funding

There is no funding to report.