Peritoneal Dialysis

Peritoneal dialysis is a treatment for kidney failure that uses the lining, or peritoneum, of your belly, to clean your blood inside your body.

The inside lining of your belly acts as a natural filter. After doctors insert a catheter in your abdomen for access, the abdominal area (called the peritoneal cavity) is slowly filled with dialysate (dialysis fluid) through the catheter. The blood stays in the arteries and veins (blood vessels) that line the peritoneal cavity. Any extra fluid or waste products are drawn out of the blood and into the dialysate. After a period of time the dialysate is slowly removed from the body along with the wastes and extra fluids.