A new salvage procedure for peritoneal dialysis catheters with exit site infections.

The management of catheter-related infections has become a major challenge in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis treatment. We identified five patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis who failed conservative medical management for exit site infections. Each patient underwent incision and debridement along the subcutaneous course of the catheter, exteriorization of the superficial cuff, and establishment of a new exit site at the medial aspect of the wound. This novel technique of incision and debridement along the subcutaneous tunnel and relocation of the exit site has not been described in the literature. In four of five patients, this technique controlled the exit site infection and arrested the progression of the infection to peritonitis, preventing the need for catheter removal.