Peritoneal dialysis uses the peritoneum, a natural membrane, that lines the cavity of the abdomen. The membrane has tiny holes and acts as a filter. Waste products and fluid flows through this membrane allowing the wastes to “clear’ from the blood. A catheter is inserted into the abdomen during an operation. About 15cm of this tube remains outside the abdomen providing a means for attaching the bags of dialysis fluid during a ‘bag exchange’. A CAPD exchange consists of 3 stages:
- The peritoneal cavity is filled with approx. 2 litres of dialysis fluid (glucose solution)
- The dialysis fluid is left inside the peritoneal cavity for approx 4-6 hours where water and toxins from the bloodstream pass through the membrane into the dialysis fluid
- The ‘used’ fluid, containing the water and toxins that the kidneys would normally have passed into the urine, is drained out of the body and discarded.
The full ‘bag exchange’ process takes approx. 40 mins and has to be performed 4 times a day.
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