Use of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis in a nursing home: patient characteristics, technique success, and survival predictors.

Forty-four end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients admitted to a nursing home were treated with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). The technical feasibility of using CAPD in this setting was demonstrated by an acceptable peritonitis rate (1.3 episodes per patient-year), acute hospitalization rate (18.5 days per patient-year), and only two technique failures. However, 6-month and 12-month survival rates were 53% and 29%, respectively. Survival analysis using the Cox model showed that patients with better functional status on admission measured by activity of daily living scores and who had previously been in an outpatient dialysis program before admission survived longer and were more often discharged.