Trends in Automated Peritoneal Dialysis Prescriptions in a Large Dialysis Organization in the United States

Background Changes in health care policies and recognition of patient benefit have contributed to increases in home-based dialysis, including peritoneal dialysis (PD). Frequent monitoring and early individualization of PD prescriptions are key prerequisites for the delivery of high-quality PD. The present analysis aimed to assess variations in PD prescriptions among incident automated PD (APD) patients who remain on PD for 120+ days. Methods This retrospective analysis examined data from patients within a large dialysis organization that initiated PD with APD between 2015 and 2019. PD prescription data were described by calendar year, timing of PD, and residual renal function categories. Changes in prescriptions from PD initiation (day 1) to day 120 were assessed descriptively. Results The cohort included 11,659 patients. The mean age at PD initiation increased from 2015 (56 [15] years) through 2019 (58 [15] years), whereas most other variables demonstrated no clear temporal change. Most patients (86%) had nighttime PD prescribed, with an average of 4.9 (1.3) cycles per day, a mean total treatment volume of 9.3 (2.5) L, and a median daily total dwell time of 7 (6-9.5) hours. Relative to day 1 nighttime prescriptions, there were (1) small increases in the proportion of patients receiving three or fewer cycles per day and those receiving 6+ cycles per day, (2) a 100 ml mean increase in fill volume per exchange, and (3) a mean 0.5 L increase in total nighttime treatment volume at day 120. When changes in nighttime APD prescriptions were examined at the patient level, 49% of patients had day 120 prescriptions that were unchanged from their initial prescription. Conclusions In the largest analysis of incident APD prescriptions conducted in the United States to date, most patients were prescribed nocturnal PD only with limited variability across the first 4 months of therapy.