PERITONEAL DIALYSIS

Course overview

PERITONEAL DIALYSIS (PD) IS USED BY LESS THAN 7 PERCENT OF DIALYSIS PATIENTS IN THE UNITED STATES. IN CANADA, MORE THAN 50 PERCENT OF DIALYSIS PATIENTS USE PERITONEAL DIALYSIS. SEVERAL OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES, INCLUDING NATIONAL REGISTRIES FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD, HAVE REPORTED IMPROVED EARLY SURVIVAL OF PATIENTS USING PERITONEAL DIALYSIS COMPARED TO THOSE USING HEMODIALYSIS. FURTHERMORE, HEMODIALYSIS COSTS SIGNIFICANTLY MORE THAN PERITONEAL DIALYSIS; IN 2011, THE AVERAGE HEMODIALYSIS COST PER PATIENT PER YEAR WAS 87,945 DOLLARS, WHEREAS THE AVERAGE PERITONEAL DIALYSIS COST PER PATIENT PER YEAR WAS 71,630 DOLLARS. THIS ACTIVITY DESCRIBES THE INDICATIONS AND CONTRAINDICATIONS FOR PERITONEAL DIALYSIS AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN MANAGING PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC RENAL FAILURE.