[Clinical aspects and microbiology of peritoneal dyalisis-related peritonitis].

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe the clinical and bacteriological characteristics of patients with peritoneal dyalisis-related peritonitis.

METHODS: A cross-sectional, descriptive study conducted at an Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social hospital, in Zacapetec, Morelos, Mexico. The sample included was non-probabilistic and consecutive. All the patients with current registration, and diagnosed with peritoneal dyalisis-related peritonitis were included in the sample.

RESULTS: During the study period there were 30 cases of peritoneal dyalisis-related peritonitis, most commonly associated with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients, with a high incidence in intermittent dialysis. The main characteristics of patients with peritonitis were turbid liquid (100 %), abdominal pain (73 %) and fever (43 %). Gram staining revealed that 53 % was gram-positive, and 10 % was gram-negative. Bacterial cultures showed that 53.3 % of the obtained peritoneal cultures were positive. The most frequent bacterial specimen was Staphylococcus aureus.

CONCLUSIONS: Rates of infection and percentage of negative cultures were higher than reported previously. The symptoms are in accord with the international literature. Preventive measures must be employed to reduce the incidence of infections related to peritoneal dialysis.