Peritoneal dialysis involves which method?

Peritoneal dialysis involves which method?

• A. Blood filtered using the peritoneal membrane at home by the patient, with exchanges 4-5x/day or overnight
• B. Filter blood using a dialyzer at the clinic
• C. Blood is oxygenated in a machine
• D. Use kidneys to filter waste at home while sleeping

Answer: (A)

Peritoneal dialysis uses the peritoneal membrane as the filtering surface. A sterile dialysate is placed into the abdominal cavity through a catheter, and waste products and excess fluid move from the blood across the membrane into the dialysate by diffusion and osmosis. After a dwell period, the dialysate is drained and replaced. This can be done by the patient at home with multiple exchanges each day or overnight using a cycler, making it a home-based, patient-managed treatment. The other options describe different processes: filtering blood with a dialyzer is hemodialysis; oxygenating blood is a respiratory function; and relying on kidneys to filter at home while sleeping isn’t a practical modality.

Peritoneal dialysis uses the peritoneal membrane as the filtering surface. A sterile dialysate is placed into the abdominal cavity through a catheter, and waste products and excess fluid move from the blood across the membrane into the dialysate by diffusion and osmosis. After a dwell period, the dialysate is drained and replaced. This can be done by the patient at home with multiple exchanges each day or overnight using a cycler, making it a home-based, patient-managed treatment. The other options describe different processes: filtering blood with a dialyzer is hemodialysis; oxygenating blood is a respiratory function; and relying on kidneys to filter at home while sleeping isn’t a practical modality.