文本框: PERITONITIS PREVALENCE SECUNDARY TO PERITONEAL DIALISIS IN A PEDIATRIC HOSPITAL IN MEXICO CITY Castañeda NJ, González SN, Vidal VP, Pérez GN. National Institute of Pediatrics, Mexico City, Mexico Objective: To know the prevalence of peritoneal infections secondary to dialysis catheter and the most frecuently related etiological agents. Material and Methods: During the period from January 1990 and July 2000, clinical files of peritoneal dialysis patients were checked in a retrospective way. We included patients with dialysis catheter and symptomatic o asymptomatic peritoneal infection who had peritoneal liquid with > 100 leucocytes/ml and > 50% of this were PMN leucocytes. Variables: age, sex, days since the catheter was placed before peritonitis episode, diagnosis, previous episodes of peritonitis, signs and symptoms gram-stain and culture of peritoneal liquid, infection’s evolution and catheter conditions at the end of treatment. We made an univariated analysis expressed as middle, maximums and minimum values. Results: There were included a total of 70 patients, 49 (70%) of the had developed peritonitis, 7 of them experienced more than one episode for a total of 58. The most frecuently isolated agent was S. epidermidis in 5 cases (8.6%), S. aureus in 4 (6.9%) and K. pneumoniae in (6.9%). The peritonitis episodes were present with a mean of 46.6 days after the catheter was placed (range 3-204 days). Disfuntion was the principal cause for 14 catheter changes in 11 patients, in 2 (14%) it was changed because of infection 8 (16.3%) patients had previous episodes of peritonitis. Gram stain was positive in 13.7% and cultures were positive in 50% of the episodes. The catheter was removed in 16 patients (27.5%), of them 8 (13.8%) it was because of infection. Conclusions: The peritonitis prevalecense in the patients with peritoneal dialysis is 70%, the main etiological agent are gram-positive microorganisms and mortality related to peritoneal infections is low. 0978