A Medical Clinical Affairs White Paper | December 2021
Authors: Gopa B. Green MD, Graham Abra MD, Wael Hussein MD, and Brigitte Schiller MD FACP FASN
Home dialysis offers patients distinct clinical benefits, greater flexibility and control of their dialysis care, and potentially offers cost savings to the healthcare system as the burden of chronic kidney disease increases worldwide. Peritoneal dialysis (PD) for incident end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients may help to preserve residual renal function, save future vascular access sites, and improve quality of life.1 However, transfer from PD to incenter hemodialysis (ICHD), so called “technique failure,” remains a common reason for dropout, with psychosocial issues, catheter dysfunction, peritonitis, and membrane or ultrafiltration failure as key drivers. Healthcare providers and patients who participated in the Standardized Outcomes in Nephrology-Peritoneal Dialysis (SONG-PD) initiative identified technique failure as one of the core outcome domains for inclusion in clinical trials evaluating PD.2 From the perspective of the patient, remaining on PD for as long as possible then safely transitioning to another form of kidney replacement