The self-locating peritoneal catheter: fifteen years of experience.

504 During the past 30 years, many attempts have been made to modify the Tenckhoff peritoneal catheter in order to improve its function and efficiency (1–3). The catheter is a serious issue in peritoneal dialysis because it creates a communication between the abdominal cavity and the outside world, thus exposing patients to potentially severe complications, some of which can be reduced using new connection systems (4–6). Nevertheless, these complications tend to limit the use of peritoneal dialysis, although it is more physiological than hemodialysis. It is therefore logical to try and improve the function and biocompatibility of peritoneal catheters (6). Peritoneal catheters often become dislocated, leading to malfunction and need for replacement since it is usually not possible to restore them to their correct position. In 1995, with the aim of preventing this complication, the Nephrology Department of the University Hospital of Siena designed a new catheter, similar to the Tenckhoff catheter in form but with a 12-g high specific weight tungsten cylinder incorporated in the abdominal extremity. We call this new catheter the “self-locating peritoneal catheter” (SLPC) (7,8). Our catheter maintains the original form and internal diameter of the Tenckhoff catheter for most of its length, but the external diameter increases in the last 2 cm, where we do not find the usual perforations. This new catheter has some important physical characteristics: