Dialysis: A life saving approach in renal failure

Abstract

Peritoneal dialysis is a modality of renal replacement therapy that has been extensively used over the past years as a method of kidney replacement therapy for patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD). Dialysis works on the principles of the diffusion of solutes and ultrafiltration of fluid across a semi-permeable membrane. Blood flows by one side of a semi-permeable membrane and a dialysate or fluid flows by the opposite side. The counter-current flow of the blood and dialysate maximizes the concentration gradient of solutes between the blood and dialysate, which helps to remove more urea and creatinine from the blood. In this process, dialysate is instilled into the peritoneal cavity and through the process of diffusion and osmosis, water, toxins, electrolytes and other small molecules are allowed to equilibrate.