Peritoneal Dialysis Chronic Kidney DiseasePeritoneal Dialysis Chronic Kidney Disease

There are 2 Types of PDThe option you choose depends on yourlifestyle and personal needs. After you have aPD catheter placed you will choose eitherCAPD or CCPD. If one doesn’t work for you,you can try the other.

CAPD stands for continuous ambulatoryperitoneal dialysis. You attach a bag of fluidto your PD catheter and fill your abdomenwith solution. The fluid will remain or “dwell”in your abdomen for several hours, asprescribed by your doctor. After the dwell,you attach your PD catheter to an emptydrain bag and drain the fluid from yourabdomen. Most people do this 4 times a day.It takes about 30 minutes to fill or drain yourabdomen. This can be done at home, at workor on the go.

CAPD (Manual)

CCPD stands for continuous cycling peritonealdialysis. The process is similar to CAPD but it isdone while you sleep at night, using a smallmachine called a cycler. You will connect yourPD catheter to the cycler and the machine willfill and drain your abdomen several times duringthe night while you are sleeping. Some PD fluidusually stays in your abdomen during the day.

CCPD (Automated Process)

More normal lifestyle Less confining; done at home Portable: you can take it with youNo needles, no blood Fewer diet restrictions Continuous, gentle dialysis Easier than home hemodialysisMay require less medicationFewer blood pressure issues and treatmentside effects Preserves your own kidney function longer

Here are Some Benefits of PD:

Peritoneal dialysis allows you the flexibility toarrange your treatment around your life ratherthan your life around your treatment.

Why Should I Do PD?

Many People Who Choose Dialysis, prefer todialyze at home. Most of them choose peritoneal(PER-it-oh-nee-al) dialysis (PD). PD uses thenatural lining of your abdomen, the peritonealmembrane. This membrane covers your stomach,spleen, liver and intestines. It can act as anartificial kidney because it has tiny holes that canfilter your blood and remove fluid.

Peritoneal Dialysis

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How Do You Get Started? To prepare for PD, a surgeon willplace a permanent tube called a PDcatheter into your lower abdomen.The PD catheter carries PD solutionin and out of your abdomen. Onceyour catheter is placed, you will have5-10 days of training. With any homedialysis, a doctor or a nurse is alwayson-call 24 hours a day and availableto help you.PD uses a mixture of minerals andsugar dissolved in water, calleddialysate. The PD fluid will be put inyour abdomen for a certain period oftime, called a “dwell” or an“exchange,” determined by yourdoctor. It is called a “dwell” becausethe fluid dwells in your abdomen. It iscalled an “exchange” because youexchange spent fluid for fresh fluid. While the PD fluid is sitting in theabdomen, the sugar is drawing waterfrom your blood through theperitoneal membrane and into thesolution in your abdomen. At thesame time, the toxins that have builtup in your blood are leaching out intothe solution in your abdomen. By the time you are actually doingthe exchanges at home, and allowingthe fluid to dwell in your abdomen,you will know what to do and whomto call for questions.

What Happens After That? Before you start PD, a nurse will visityou at your home to make sure youhave room for the PD supplies and tocheck your plumbing and electricalsupply if you are going to be on theautomated form of PD.

After you start PD at home, you will stillneed to come into the home trainingunit at least monthly for blood workand to see your nephrologist. Somenephrologists want you to come twicea month, once to get blood work andanother time to discuss the results andsee the nephrologist.

You will also be trained on how todocument your treatments and you willneed to bring that documentation withyou to your office visit.

You will be trained on how to care foryour PD catheter and how to keep itworking well and free from infection.Again, one of the best parts about PDis that (unlike hemodialysis) it doesnot require the use of needles for eachtreatment. Very importantly, the PDcatheter is much safer than ahemodialysis catheter because it is inyour abdomen, not in your heart.