Perit Dial Int
1(1):
3-
1980
© 1980 International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis
PERITONITIS OF ENTERIC ORIGIN
D. Low 5.1 Vas,
D-G. Oreopoulos,
N. Dombros,
R. Khanna,
W. McCready
In patients on CAPD 20% of all peritonitis is due to enteric organisms
(EO). This abstract describes the clinical charac. teristics and outcome of 23
episodes of peritonitis caused by EO among 21 patients (8 men and 13 woIIIen).
Their average age was 52 (24.77) years and the average duration of CAPD before
infection was 7.4 (1.17) IIIonths. In 15 episodes (14 patients) a single
organism was isolated: 3/15 (Enterobacteriaceae 2, Clostridium 1) episodes
were asymptomatic and the patients were treated successfully as out-patients;
in 9115 episodes, (Enterobacteriaceae 4, Pseudomonas aeruginosa 2, Enterococci
3) the patients had clinical peritonitis but responded well to peritoneal
lavage with antibiotics after an average hospital stay of 12.3 (6.34) days. Of
the last three patients, two (both Bacteroides fragilis) underwent laparotomy
because of persistent infection while the third (E. coli) underwent
laparotoIIIy because of a ruptured aneurysm fro III a previous transplant
nephrectomy. All patients are alive and 9/14 continue on CAPD. In 8 episodes
(7 patients) two or more organisIIIs were isolated (Enterobacteriaceae 9,
Enterococcus 2, P. aeruginosa 2, B. fragilis 1, Acinetobacter 1, Strep.
viridans I, Staph. aureus 1). Three patients underwent laparotomy because of
persistent infection. Two patients died from related complications. The five
who survived remained in hospital for an average of 50 (9-103) days and only
two continue on CAPD. We concluded that the presence of B. fragilis or the
combination of an enteric organism plus one or more other organisms has a
grave prognosis and requires aggressive management.
Copyright © 1980 by Multimed Inc.
