A method of dialysis of people while they are walking about.
Dialysis in which fluid is infused into the peritoneum through an implanted catheter and then drained from the body after absorbing metabolic toxins. The peritoneal lining serves as the dialytic membrane. CAPD is an alternative to hemodialysis for patients with end-stage renal disease. It removes fluids, electrolytes, and nitrogen-containing wastes by osmosis but is less efficient than hemodialysis. Scrupulous antiseptic technique is needed to avoid introducing infectious microorganisms into the dialysate and peritoneum. Nonetheless, the technique has several benefits: it can be performed at home by patients (increasing their autonomy); it avoids the hypotension sometimes associated with hemodialysis; and it is better tolerated than hemodialysis because it is less likely to produce rapid shifts in the concentration of urea, electrolytes, and other solutes in the bloodstream.