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What is Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis?

H. Colledge
H. Colledge

Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis, or CAPD, is a technique used to filter waste from the blood when the kidneys, which normally perform this function, are not working properly. It is an alternative to the procedure known as hemodialysis, where patients are connected to a machine which filters blood through an artificial membrane. This type of peritoneal dialysis allows more freedom because the filtering process takes place inside the body, using the peritoneum, a layer of tissue lining the abdominal cavity, as the dialysis membrane. This removes the need for attachment to a machine while dialysis is taking place and allows the person to carry out normal, daily activities.

In order for continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis to take place, minor surgery is required to insert a tube, called a peritoneal dialysis, or PD, catheter, into the space inside the abdomen, known as the peritoneal cavity. The operation site then has to heal fully before dialysis can begin. All the equipment needed for continuous peritoneal dialysis is stored in the patient's home, and the technique involves carrying out a simple, painless procedure about four times each day.

Peritoneal dialysis filters waste from the blood of the kidneys.
Peritoneal dialysis filters waste from the blood of the kidneys.

Part of the PD catheter, which is made of a soft material, protrudes from an opening in the skin of the abdomen, where it is taped in place and normally covered with a dressing. Inside the body, the catheter tube is anchored by special cuffs, which become fused with body tissues. The continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis procedure involves connecting a pair of bags to the end of the PD catheter, using a system of tubes and clamps. One bag contains fresh dialysis solution and the other is used to collect old solution which has been in the body for several hours.

The dialysis procedure performs some of the functions of normal, healthy kidneys.
The dialysis procedure performs some of the functions of normal, healthy kidneys.

The fresh dialysis solution contains glucose, which acts, by a force known as osmotic pressure, to draw water out of blood vessels through the peritoneum and into the solution in the peritoneal cavity. Waste products from the blood, which would normally be filtered out by a functioning kidney, also pass through the peritoneum into the dialysis solution. Normally, fresh dialysis fluid is left in the peritoneal cavity for between four and six hours before being drained into a waste bag. New solution is then added so the dialysis process is continuous.

Minor surgery is required before continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis can take place.
Minor surgery is required before continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis can take place.

It is important that strict hygiene practices are followed during continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis, because there is a risk of infection spreading from the catheter site into the peritoneal cavity. This causes a potentially serious illness known as peritonitis, which needs urgent treatment. Symptoms of peritonitis include pain in the abdomen, fever, and the waste dialysis fluid appearing cloudy. In most cases, treatment with antibiotics resolves the condition.

Discussion Comments

Lostnfound

I know CAPD is easier on the patient, too. It doesn't wear them out like regular hemodialysis can. Also, the peritoneal tube isn't apt to clog or close up, unlike the fistula the doctor has to create for the other kind of dialysis.

I hope there comes a time when medicine can heal kidneys and dialysis will be a procedure of the distant past.

Grivusangel

Some of the procedures must have changed for CAPD. My dad was on it for a while, nearly 20 years ago. He did it every other day, and it took about four hours each time. It must not take as long, now, since it's a four-times-per-day procedure.

I know it's absolutely critical that sterile procedures be followed. My mom helped my dad with the process, and both of them wore masks while they were changing the fluid, and mom wore a sterile apron and gloves. They used a metal TV tray for supplies, since it could be sprayed with an antibacterial solution, and then have a disposable drape placed on it. My dad's doctor said they were doing everything right because he never had peritonitis the whole time he was on CAPD.

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    • Peritoneal dialysis filters waste from the blood of the kidneys.
      By: picsfive
      Peritoneal dialysis filters waste from the blood of the kidneys.
    • The dialysis procedure performs some of the functions of normal, healthy kidneys.
      By: maya2008
      The dialysis procedure performs some of the functions of normal, healthy kidneys.
    • Minor surgery is required before continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis can take place.
      By: Kot63
      Minor surgery is required before continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis can take place.
    • Patients undergoing dialysis should be careful not to drink excessive amounts of water, as doing so could prolong the procedure and cause complications.
      By: auremar
      Patients undergoing dialysis should be careful not to drink excessive amounts of water, as doing so could prolong the procedure and cause complications.
    • Dialysis patients are commonly prescribed blood thinning medications to prevent to prevent blood clots in the hemodialysis machine.
      By: Andy Dean
      Dialysis patients are commonly prescribed blood thinning medications to prevent to prevent blood clots in the hemodialysis machine.
    • Strict hygiene practices should be followed during continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.
      By: Alliance
      Strict hygiene practices should be followed during continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.
    • Patients typically experience a drop in body temperature while undergoing dialysis.
      By: Syda Productions
      Patients typically experience a drop in body temperature while undergoing dialysis.