The ‘Pull’ Technique for Removal of Peritoneal Dialysis Catheters: A Call for Re-Evaluation of Practice Standards

Background The most commonly used peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheters have silicon tubing with attached Dacron cuffs. The current standard of care for PD catheter removal is by complete surgical dissection, withdrawing both the tubing and the cuffs. The intention is to avoid infection of any residual part of the catheter. We retrospectively analyzed our results with the alternative ‘pull’ technique, by which the silicon tube is pulled out, leaving the Dacron cuffs within the abdominal wall. This technique never gained popularity due to concern that the retained cuffs would get infected. Methods We reviewed our experience from an 18-month period, between January 2014 and June 2015. There were 46 catheter removals in 40 patients. All the catheters were of the double-cuffed coiled Tenckhoff type (Covidien, Dublin, Ireland). Results Of the 46 catheter removals by the ‘pull’ technique, there was only 1 case of retained cuff infection. Conclusions The ‘pull’ technique is a safe method for Tenckhoff catheter removal with low risk of infection. We strongly recommend it as the procedure of choice.