What is peritoneal dialysis?

Dialysis does the work of your kidneys when you have kidney failure. It filters wastes and removes extra fluid. And it works to restore the right balance of chemicals in the blood.

Peritoneal dialysis (say "pair-uh-tuh-NEE-uhl dy-AL-uh-sus") uses the lining of your belly to filter your blood. This lining is called the peritoneal membrane.

Before you can start this type of dialysis, a doctor has to make a dialysis access in your belly. This is the place where the fluid (dialysis solution) flows into and out of your body. This is most often done 10 to 14 days before dialysis starts.

You don't need to go to a dialysis center for peritoneal dialysis. Instead, you will do your own treatments at home or in any clean place. You may be able to do it when you sleep.

You can do peritoneal dialysis yourself or have a machine help you.

Peritoneal dialysis replaces the work of the kidneys after complications of kidney failure develop.

The process of doing peritoneal dialysis is called an exchange. Each exchange has three steps: fill, dwell, and drain.

Fill:

Dialysis fluid enters your belly through the catheter. The fluid is a mix of sugar, water, and electrolytes. Electrolytes are minerals such as sodium, potassium, and calcium.

Dwell:

While the fluid is in your belly, extra fluid and waste travel into the dialysis fluid.

Drain:

The fluid is drained and then replaced with new fluid.