Peritoneal Dialysis Procedure

Peritoneal Dialysis is a kidney replacement therapy used for people whose kidneys are no longer able to adequately remove waste, excess fluid, and electrolytes from the blood. Instead of using a dialysis machine to filter blood directly, this treatment uses the peritoneum, the natural lining of the abdomen, as a filtering membrane. A soft dialysis catheter is placed into the abdomen. A special dialysis solution called dialysate is introduced through the catheter. Waste products and excess fluid move from the blood vessels in the peritoneum into the dialysate. The used fluid is then drained and replaced with fresh solution. Peritoneal dialysis can be performed as Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD), where exchanges are done manually several times a day, or Automated Peritoneal Dialysis (APD), where a machine performs exchanges, usually during sleep.