Effectiveness and Safety of Peritoneal Dialysis Treatment in Patients with Refractory Congestive Heart Failure due to Chronic Cardiorenal Syndrome

Aims. To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of peritoneal dialysis (PD) in treating refractory congestive heart failure (RCHF) with cardiorenal syndrome (CRS). Methods. A total of 36 patients with RCHF were divided into type 2 CRS group (group A) and non-type 2 CRS group (group B) according to the patients’ clinical presentations and the ratio of serum urea to creatinine and urinary analyses in this prospective study. All patients were followed up till death or discontinuation of PD. Data were collected for analysis, including patient survival time on PD, technique failure, changes of heart function, and complications associated with PD treatment and hospitalization. Results. There were 27 deaths and 9 patients quitting PD program after a follow-up for 73 months with an average PD time of 22.8±18.2 months. A significant longer PD time was found in group B as compared with that in group A (29.0±19.4 versus 13.1±10.6 months, p=0.003). Kaplan–Meier curves showed a higher survival probability in group B than that in group A (p