Introduction
Peritoneal dialysis is a form of renal replacement therapy where the filtration occurs within the patient's abdomen. Dialysis solution is injected into the abdominal cavity through a permanent catheter. The high dextrose concentration of the solution draws waste products from the blood into the abdominal cavity across the peritoneum. After several hours of dwell time, the dialysis solution is then drained, removing the waste products from the body, and exchanged for new dialysis solution. There are two types of peritoneal dialysis:
- Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) - as described above, with each exchange lasting 30-40 minutes and each dwell time lasting 4-8 hours. The patient may go about their normal activities with the dialysis solution inside their abdomen
- Automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) - a dialysis machine fills and drains the abdomen while the patient is sleeping, performing 3-5 exchanges over 8-10 hours each night
Complications
Complications
- peritonitis: coagulase-negative staphylococci such as Staphylococcus epidermidis is the most common cause. Staphylococcus aureus is another common cause
- sclerosing peritonitis