Exploration of patients' preference for modalities of care among peritoneal dialysis patients in Singapore: a single-center experience.

INTRODUCTION: Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is home-based dialysis therapy and therefore a suitable modality for kidney failure patients, particularly, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study examined patients' preferences for different PD-related services. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional survey study. Anonymized data from PD patients followed up at a single center in Singapore were collected using an online platform. The study focused on telehealth services, home visits, and monitoring of quality-of-life (QoL). RESULTS: A total of 78 PD patients responded to the survey. The majority of participants were Chinese (76%), married (73%), and between 45 and 65 years old (45%). The in-person visit was preferred over teleconsultation for consultation with nephrologists (68% versus 32%), counseling for kidney disease and dialysis by renal coordinators (59%), whereas the telehealth service was favored over in-person visit for dietary counseling (60%) and medication counseling (64%). Most participants (81%) preferred medication delivery over self-collection, and the acceptable turnaround time was 1 week. Sixty percent would like to have a regular home visit, but 23% refused such visits. The preferred frequency of home visits was one-to-three visits within the first 6 months (74%) and then 6 monthly for subsequent visits (40%). The majority of participants (87%) agreed with QoL monitoring, and the preferred frequency of monitoring varied between 6 monthly (45%) and yearly (40%). Participants also indicated three key areas in research to improve QoL, such as the development of artificial kidneys, portable PD devices, and simplification of PD procedure. Participants also would like to see improvement in two main areas of PD services, such as delivery service for PD solutions and social (instrumental, informational, and emotional) support. CONCLUSIONS: Most PD patients preferred in-person visits with nephrologists or renal coordinators; however, they favored telehealth services with dieticians and pharmacists. PD patients also welcomed home visit service and QoL monitoring. Future studies should confirm these findings.

Clinical features, management and outcomes of peritoneal dialysis patients during Delta and Omicron waves of COVID-19 infections.

INTRODUCTION: There were discrete outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 infection in 2021 (Delta wave) and 2022 (Omicron wave) in Singapore, which affected patients receiving peritoneal dialysis (PD). METHODS: This study included all PD patients with COVID-19 infection from a single center between October 2021 and March 2022. The clinical presentation, management and outcomes of patients during the Delta and Omicron outbreaks were compared. RESULTS: A total of 44 PD patients developed SARS-CoV-2 infection (23 during the Delta wave and 21 during the Omicron wave): median age 66 (60.5-68.5) years, male (63.6%), Chinese ethnic (77.3%), diabetes mellitus (56.8%), and cardiovascular disease (45.5%). Approximately, 93.2% received two doses of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Cough (81.8%) and fever (54.5%) were common presenting symptoms. Chest radiography showed ground glass opacity in 23.5% of patients, consolidation in 55.6%, and bilateral lung involvement in 33.3%. Eleven patients (25.6%) received antiviral therapy (Remdesivir), 7 (16.3%) received steroid, and 4 (9.3%) received monoclonal antibodies. Patients infected during the Delta wave were more likely to be hospitalized (73.9 vs 14.3%; p < 0.001) and receive antiviral therapy (39.1 vs 10.0%; p = 0.03) than those during the Omicron wave. The overall mortality rate was 11.4%, with significantly higher mortality during the Delta wave than during the Omicron wave (21.7 vs 0%; p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: The mortality rate was high among infected PD patients during Delta wave of COVID-19 infection. However, during the Omicron wave, most infected patients were treated in the community with favorable outcomes.

COVID-19 vaccination in peritoneal dialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 vaccine is recommended in Peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients, but a paucity of data is available regarding vaccine-related adverse effects among PD patients. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a single center between October and November 2021. PD patients were provided with the online survey link to participate in the study. RESULTS: A total of 107 PD patients responded to the survey (55%: male, 79%: Chinese, 40%: > 65 years old). Of these, 95% received the COVID-19 vaccine (77% received two doses and 22% received three doses). Most participants (91%) received Pfizer vaccine. The main source of vaccine information was from the government (48%). The most common reason to receive and refuse vaccines were the perception of the seriousness of COVID-19 infection (63%) and concern about vaccine safety (60%), respectively. After the first dose, 25% of patients developed one or more vaccine-related adverse effects. Common local adverse effect was pain at the injection site (21%), and systemic adverse effects were muscle pain (15%), fatigue (13%). Similar adverse effects were observed with subsequent doses. None of them required hospitalization for vaccine-related adverse effects. Female patients had a higher risk of developing adverse effects than male patients after the first dose (odds ratio: 3.37; 95% confidence interval: 1.25 - 9.08). No such difference was observed in the subsequent dose. Age, race, employment status and history of drug allergy were not associated with the risk of adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 vaccine was well-tolerated by most PD patients, but few experienced non-severe adverse effects. All PD patients should be vaccinated against SAR-COV-2 infection.

Strategies for Management of Peritoneal Dialysis Patients in Singapore during COVID-19 Pandemic.

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is the only well-established home-based dialysis therapy in Singapore. As it is a home-based modality, PD should be considered as a preferred mode of kidney replacement therapy (KRT) for patients with kidney failure during this COVID-19 pandemic as it avoids frequent visits to hospitals and/or satellite dialysis centres. The highly infectious nature of this virus has led to the implementation of the Disease Outbreak Response System Condition orange status in Singapore since early February 2020. This paper summarises the strategies for management of several aspects of PD in Singapore during this COVID-19 pandemic, including PD catheter insertion, PD training, home visit and assisted PD, outpatient PD clinic, inpatient management of PD patients with or without COVID-19 infection, PD as KRT for COVID-19 patients with acute kidney injury, management of common complications in PD (peritonitis and fluid overload), and management of PD inventory.