Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Peritoneal access devices

1998; Wiley; Volume: 4; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/j.1440-1797.1998.tb00355.x

1440-1797

Martin Roberts,

Dialysis and Renal Disease Management

SUMMARY: At first, both hard and soft catheters were used to obtain access to the peritoneal cavity. In 1959, Dr Maxwell standardized the use of a rigid nylon catheter and this became the catheter of choice. A modification by Weston and Roberts simplified the insertion of the catheter. Unfortunately, the rigid catheter could not be used for chronic renal failure patients because it moved to and fro in the sinus tract, resulting in infection of the exit site. Many attempts were made to solve this problem by using a conduit through which the catheter could be passed but these failed due to infection. Meanwhile, the development of a relatively biocompatible plastic, silicone rubber, provided a new opportunity for soft catheters. Progress with these catheters lead to the Tenckhoff catheter, which together with a standardized procedure for insertion and care, resulted in its acceptance as the primary type of catheter used today. Peritonitis and exit site infections are less common but there is still a need for a catheter which is user friendly.