PERITONEAL TRANSPORT AND EPO

To evaluate the effect of partial anemia correction with EPO on peritoneal transport kinetics, Jive peritoneal dialysis patients were investigated with two 6-hour single-dwell studies with 3.86% solution-one before and one after partial correction. Three patients were in clinically stable condition, and two patients had severe loss of ultrafiltration capacity (UFC). Intraperitoneal dialysate volumes were calculated from the dilution of the tracer (I-131-albumin) with a correction applied for its elimination from the peritoneal cavity (K-E, ml/min). The diffusive mass transport coefficients (K-BD, ml/min)for glucose, creatinine and urea were calculated during a period of dialysate isovolemia, using aqueous solute concentrations corrected for plasma protein concentration. Despite the increase in hemoglobin from 80+/-7 to 98+/-11 g/l, no significant differences were observed in intraperitoneal dialysate volume over time curves, net ultrafiltration, fluid reabsorption rate, K-E, or K-BD for glucose, urea or creatinine before and after partial correction of anemia with EPO. The two patients with UFC loss did not show any sign of improvement. We conclude that the effect of anemia correction with EPO on fluid and solute transport kinetics during peritoneal dialysis is of no major importance for the clinical management of peritoneal dialysis patients.