Analyzing the long-term survival of the patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis in the peritoneal dialysis center in Shiraz, 2002-2011

One of the advantages of peritoneal dialysis (PD) compared to hemodialysis is it can be performed at home. The present study aims at determining the long-term survival of patients and technique survival and investigates the risk factors affecting the mortality rate in PD patients. The study was conducted on 290 patients undergoing PD in the main PD center in Shiraz, Iran, between April 2002 and March 2012. The patients' survival rate and the factors affecting their survival were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Besides, log-rank method was used to compare survival among different levels of the categorized variables. Cox regression model was used for introducing the risk factors affecting the patients' survival. The mean of the patients' survival at the end of the follow-up period was 15.42 ± 13.97 months. The patients' 1-, 2-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 85%, 72%, 57%, and 22%, respectively, and the median survival time was 11.64 months. Forty-three patients (14.8%) changed their treatment method to hemodialysis. The patients' 1-, 2-, 3-, and 5-year technique survival rates were 90%, 81%, 72%, and 47%, respectively. Age and hemoglobin level were the most significant factors in the patients' survival. Hemoglobin level was the most important factor in technique survival.