Treatment Options for Kidney Patients: Peritoneal Dialysis
Peritoneal Dialysis
read part 3 here
Starting Peritoneal Dialysis, a kidney patient, would discover the right method to carry out a self therapy to enable himself to have more freedom in his daily life.
In case of Peritoneal Dialysis, a specific solution composed by glucose and minerals is passed on to the abdominal cavity and is removed after the blood is cleansed. However, this procedure does not perfectly substitute a failing kidney (like it cannot remove the hormones produced). It only performs a part of the function which is usually carried out by a normal kidney.
How Does Peritoneal Dialysis Work:
During Peritoneal Dialysis, the solution made of minerals and glucose is delivered to the peritoneal cavity using a tube. The solution which is known as ‘dialysate’ is allowed to stay in the cavity for some time. The solution absorbs all the wastes from the blood, thereby cleansing it. The dialysate is then drawn out and discarded through the tube. The process needs to be repeated four to six times every day. Since this procedure requires frequent repetition, it is mostly carried out in the patient’s house itself. However, it requires regular supervision from a dialysis center.
The process involves no needles but the PD catheter is placed through the abdomen by a doctor. Thereafter, one can learn how to access it from the nurses.
Types of Peritoneal dialysis:
PD itself can be of three types:
- CAPD which is a manual method of PD and involves no machines. In this case, the dialysate is allowed to remain in the peritoneal cavity for about four to six hours. Then it is drained out and freshly refilled. This would require the process to be repeated four to six times a day.
- Nocturnal Intermitted Peritoneal Dialysis (IPD) is similar to CAPD but is carried out in hospitals and the procedure may last up to 24 hours. During the day, the abdomen is left dry, that is, without the dialysate. The cleansing process is carried out at night and might require to be repeated a number of times every week. However, this process is not much in use nowadays.
- CCPD or Automated Peritoneal Dialysis is carried out by a machine and is performed at night because it takes almost ten to twelve hours. The fresh dialysate is automatically delivered and the used dialysate is automatically drained from the peritoneal cavity by the machine.
Before doing the Peritoneal Dialysis all by himself, the patient will require a few weeks of training when he will be performing the process under the supervision of a nurse. Since the person himself will be doing his treatment, he needs to be very aware of his feelings regarding the treatment. If the person finds it uncomfortable to carry out his PD or senses any kind of infection due to the cathedral or inside the abdomen, he needs to immediately inform his doctor.
About the Author
Michaelw Hi, my name is Michael and in this blog I'm gonna share the story of how I got off kidney dialysis for good. Getting off dialysis isn't easy at all, and that's why I'm trying to help people as much as I can.
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