Final Message ISPD President 2024-26, Prof. Rajnish Mehrotra
It was over a hundred years ago that PD was used successfully for the very first time by Georg Ganter in Germany to treat a patient with post-partum AKI in 1923. Unfortunately, the patient died shortly after returning home. It took another 15 years for the first patient with AKI treated with PD to live – this patient in Wisconsin, USA, had obstructive uropathy, PD temporized their condition up until the obstruction was relieved, and dialysis was discontinued. It was not until 1975 that the concept of CAPD was introduced by Popovich and Moncrief to successfully treat a patient with kidney failure in Austin, Texas, a person who had exhausted all vascular access sites for hemodialysis. In short, it took over 50 years for an innovative concept of using the peritoneum as a dialysis membrane to become a scalable treatment that is today used by nearly half-a-million people with kidney failure worldwide. It is important to keep this in perspective that change is slow, even though we live in a rapidly changing world and look for quick results.
Over these last 50 years, PD has not only extended the lives of millions of people with kidney failure, but it has also helped people live the lives they wanted to live with kidney failure with dialysis at home. This success has been possible because of the work of countless healthcare professionals who have advocated access to PD for patients in their institutions, communities, regions, and countries around the world. For over 40 years, the ISPD has provided a platform for such professionals to engage to advance clinical care, education, and research, to improve the quality of PD care worldwide, and support changes in public policy to increase access to goal-concordant, person-centered care in their communities that may or may not have universal access to dialysis.
For me, increasing engagement of PD professionals with the work of ISPD has always been an important measure of society’s success. With the establishment of the European chapter in 2025 and the Latin American chapter earlier this year, ISPD chapters now have a presence all over the world for the first time in its history. The society ended 2025 with over 1200 members, the recently concluded elections recorded the highest-ever member participation to fill 8 positions from among 18 candidates, and 55 people applied to become a part of an ISPD committee. We continue to receive a high number of applications for ISPD fellowships and research grants, and we have strong participation in our webinars.
I want to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Perl for having served as the fourth Editor-in-Chief of Peritoneal Dialysis International, our flagship journal. The journal has thrived under his leadership, publishing high-quality science, clinical practice guidelines, and position statements. The reach of the journal under his stewardship is evident with the 2024 Journal Impact Factor being the highest in the journal’s history. I am pleased to welcome Dr. Ankur Shah as the next Editor-in-Chief and I am confident that the journal will reach new heights in disseminating knowledge about PD under his stewardship.
I hope to see all of you at the upcoming Congress of the ISPD in Cape Town, organized in partnership with the South African Nephrology Society and the Renal Care Society of South Africa. This is the first ISPD Congress hosted on the African continent with a fitting theme for our times of “PD for everyone, by everyone, everywhere”. The conference will feature a rich menu of science and innovation in PD as well as provide hands-on skills for setting up PD programs and day-to-day clinical care. Importantly, the Congress will feature a track in French to cater to the needs of the large French-speaking population within Africa. I have no doubt that Dr. Cullis (Chair, Local Organizing Committee and incoming President, ISPD) and Dr Wearne (President, South African Nephrology Society) have an intellectual treat in store for us!
P.S.: I encourage all ISPD members attending the Congress to join us in the General Assembly for ratification of the election results and the first overhaul of the Society’s bylaws since they were adopted in 2008.