Is technique survival on peritoneal dialysis better in Japan?

Technique failure resulting in transfer to hemodialysis (HD) remains one of the most important challenges in Longterm peritoneal dialysis (PD). In general, the proportion of patients transferring from PD to HD is much greater than the proportion transferring from HD to PD. However, technique failure rates differ considerably between and within countries. The question arises as to how technique failure rates in Japan compare with those in other countries. To address this issue, we reviewed the literature and our experience of 139 incident continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients from January 1995 to December 1999. Based on our review, we estimate that the 5-year technique survival rate in Japanese CAPD patients is approximately 70%, and that technique failure rate is around 7% per year. This rate is significantly lower than that in many other countries. The most common reasons for technique failure in Japan are peritoneal membrane failure, ultrafiltration loss, and inadequate dialysis. Another factor contributing to the low technique failure rate in Japan is an extremely low peritonitis rate. This may be related to good sanitation and excellent PD training programs. Peritoneal membrane failure continues to be the major challenge for long-term technique survival on PD in Japan.