Patients who began continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) at the Mayo Clinic from 1979 to 1982 were hospitalized during that period 7.8 days per patient year (PPY) for access-related causes, whereas home hemodialysis (HHD) patients were hospitalized 1.6 days PPY. As the incidence of peritonitis decreased, it was found that patients who began CAPD and HHD from 1985 to 1988 were hospitalized during that period for access-related causes for similar amounts of time (1.8 vs. 1.2 days PPY, respectively). For CAPD patients, more than one half of the hospitalization time was for reasons other than peritonitis.