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During the congress, E-Posters will be accessible to all participants on the congress website 24/7, as well as in the E-poster stations in the congress center.
Preparing your E-Poster
Please review the E-Poster format requirements carefully when preparing your E-Poster. Should your E-Poster not meet the mentioned requirements, it may not be displayed as described above.
E-Poster Submission Deadline
Please prepare and upload your E-Poster no later than March 14, 2026 11.59PM CET. After this date, you will no longer be able to prepare and upload your E-poster and it will not be displayed and accessible on the congress website.
Please follow the instructions below to input your abstract title.
Abstract titles should be brief and reflect the content of the abstract.
Exit-site and tunnel infections are recognized as major complications of peritoneal dialysis (PD) and carry a risk of progression to severe peritonitis. Elderly patients with reduced activities of daily living (ADL) are particularly susceptible to infection due to multiple factors, including impaired immunity, delayed wound healing, cognitive decline leading to inadequate hygiene, and difficulty maintaining frequent bathing. The PD catheter is designed to prevent bacterial invasion into the peritoneal cavity by creating a subcutaneous tunnel and placing a cuff beneath the skin. The Dacron fiber cuffs not only secure the catheter subcutaneously but also act as a barrier against infection spread into the peritoneal cavity, as the catheter body itself does not adhere directly to the surrounding connective tissue. In this study, we evaluated the suppressive effects of silver coating on bacterial biofilm formation using both catheter and cuff components.
Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from PD patients were used in the experiments. Conventional catheters and cuffs, as well as silver-coated catheters and cuffs, were incubated with the bacterial cultures. After fixation with ethanol and staining with phosphotungstic acid, bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation were observed using low-vacuum scanning electron microscopy (LV-SEM).
On conventional catheters and cuffs, Staphylococcus aureus exhibited clear biofilm formation. In contrast, although bacterial adhesion was observed on the silver-coated catheters and cuffs, the morphology of the attached bacteria differed markedly, and biofilm formation was suppressed. These findings suggest that silver coating alters bacterial adherence patterns and inhibits biofilm maturation on PD catheter surfaces.
Silver-coated PD catheters and cuffs demonstrated a potential suppressive effect against bacterial biofilm formation, indicating their possible utility in preventing PD-related infections. Further clinical and experimental studies are required to elucidate which structural factors—such as catheter and cuff design, the ratio and distribution of silver fibers, and the long-term durability of the coating—contribute most effectively to infection prevention. Further understanding of these mechanisms may lead to the development of safer and more infection-resistant PD devices, ultimately improving outcomes and quality of life in vulnerable PD populations, especially elderly or low-ADL patients.
