Procedures

Surgery in Renal Failure

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a treatment for patients with chronic renal failure. The patient's peritoneum acts as the membrane across which toxins that have built up in the patient’s blood diffuse into fluid introduced into the abdomen via an indwelling peritoneal catheter. The fluid can be introduced in the morning and flushed out at night while the patient sleeps (automatic peritoneal dialysis) or via regular exchanges throughout the day (continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis). It has comparable risks but is significantly less costly than haemodialysis in most parts of the world. The main advantage of this method is the ability to undertake treatment without visiting a medical facility. The primary complication of PD is infection due to the presence of a permanent tube in the abdomen.