The following is a summary of “A Prospective Clinical Study to Evaluate the Ability of the CloudCath System to Detect Peritonitis During In-Home Peritoneal Dialysis (CATCH),” published in the January 2024 issue of Nephrology by Mehrotra et al.

Peritonitis stands as the predominant complication of peritoneal dialysis, emphasizing the need for prompt intervention upon detecting signs such as cloudy effluent or symptoms like abdominal pain, as early treatment significantly enhances outcomes. 

This study delves into the efficacy of the CloudCath system, designed to monitor turbidity in dialysis effluent and promptly alert users to potential peritonitis-related changes. The investigation, a single-arm, open-label, multicenter study, involved 243 participants utilizing the CloudCath system during peritoneal dialysis. System notifications were intentionally deactivated for participants and investigators who adhered to the standard of care for peritonitis signs and symptoms. The study’s effectiveness endpoints focused on assessing the time lapse between CloudCath system notifications and peritonitis events, employing the criteria established by the International Society of Peritoneal Dialysis (ISPD).

Throughout 178.8 patient years involving the participation of 243 individuals, 71 potential peritonitis events were identified, with 51 meeting ISPD white blood cell count criteria (0.29 per patient-year). The CloudCath system triggered notifications for 80.4% of these events, exhibiting a median lead time of 2.6 days (10%–90% range, –1.0 to 15.7; P<0.0001). Even after excluding six peritonitis events occurring when the system was not in use, the system effectively signaled 91.1% of the remaining 45 events, with a median lead time of 3.0 days (10%–90% range, –0.5 to 18.8; P<0.0001). The notifications, averaging 0.78 per patient-year, predominantly corresponded to peritonitis events and non-peritonitis issues like exit site and tunnel infections or catheter/cycler concerns.

 In conclusion, the CloudCath system showcased its capability to detect peritonitis events several days earlier than the existing standard of care, demonstrating its potential to expedite the diagnosis and treatment of peritonitis in the context of peritoneal dialysis.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468024924000433