Peritoneal Dialysis

PERITONEAL DIALYSIS

Peritoneal Dialysis is a life-sustaining procedure that involves the introduction and drainage of a special fluid into the abdominal cavity. The process removes waste products and excess fluid from the body. A training period of approximately 6 to12 weeks is required to learn this procedure, which can be provided in the comfort of your home, or in an outpatient ESRD facility. As a general rule peritoneal dialysis is not performed in-center on a regular basis as it is usually performed by the patients themselves.

THERE ARE VARIOUS TYPES OF PERITONEAL DIALYSIS:

CONTINUOUS AMBULATORY PERITONEAL DIALYSIS (CAPD)

You can administer continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis about four or five times a day in the comfort of your home or workplace—it is the only type of dialysis that is done without machines. The exchange or process begins as you place a bag of dialysate into your peritoneal cavity through the catheter. The dialysate remains approximately four or five hours before it is drained back into the bag. You can continue to go about your daily activities anywhere while the dialysate is in your peritoneal cavity.

CONTINUOUS CYCLING PERITONEAL DIALYSIS (CCPD)

Using a machine called a cycler, you can complete your continuous cycling peritoneal dialysis at home. During CCPD, several exchanges occur while you sleep and each exchange takes about two hours.