Prognostic Significance of Baseline Lean Tissue Mass Percentage in Incident Peritoneal Dialysis Patients

Rationale & Objective: Bioimpedance spectroscopy is a convenient method to measure lean tissue mass (LTM), which is commonly taken as the skeletal muscle mass, in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. We investigated the prognostic significance of LTM as the percentage of body weight (%LTM) and as the marker of sarcopenia in incident PD patients. Study Design: A retrospective review of a prospective cohort. Setting & Participants: 349 incident PD patients in a single center. Predictor: Baseline %LTM. Outcomes: Patient survival, technique survival, peritonitis-free survival, peritonitis rate, hospitalization rate, and the duration of hospitalization. Analytical Approach: Time-to-event survival analyses; linear regression for hospitalization. Limitations: Observational study with baseline measures only. Conclusions: Baseline %LTM as measured using bioimpedance spectroscopy is associated with patient survival, peritonitis-free survival, the number of hospital admissions, and the duration of hospital stay in incident PD patients.