Peritoneal dialysis is a treatment option for kidney failure. After being trained by your healthcare team, you can undergo this method at home, providing you with additional comfort during your treatments.
There are two different types of peritoneal dialysis – Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) and Automated Peritoneal Dialysis (APD), to suit different lifestyles and preferences
Peritoneal dialysis works by using your body’s peritoneal membrane as a filter. Your peritoneal membrane lies between your abdominal cavity and your inner organs, like your stomach, liver, and intestines. This membrane acts as a filter to help clean your blood of wastes and toxins.
First a small tube, called a catheter, is inserted into your abdominal cavity. Dialysis fluid (dialysate) is tubed in through this catheter through manual bags or by a machine. Wastes and extra fluids from your blood pass through your peritoneal cavity into the dialysate fluid, which is later drained from your body and replaced with fresh solution.
CAPD, often referred to as ‘day bags’, is a method where you always have fluid (dialysate) in your body, so your blood is cleaned throughout the day. You’ll need to drain and refill the dialysate fluid by doing four exchanges each day (each lasting 30 minutes). During these exchanges, you’ll use a special connector on your catheter which will transfer dialysis fluid in and out of your peritoneal cavity, cleaning your blood.
You can do CAPD exchanges pretty much anywhere. In between each exchange you’re free to go about your daily activities, as per usual. You’ll usually undergo your exchanges when you first wake up, at lunch time, at dinner time and before bed. However, you can change it around to meet your schedule on busy days.
APD involves being hooked up to a machine called a cycler overnight, which automatically does exchanges for your. Before going to bed, you’ll hook your catheter to the tubing of the cycler. Your connected to the machine all night, so several exchanges can be done while you sleep.
APD is normally done every night, typically taking eight to ten hours. Some of these cyclers now have access to a remote home monitoring system so that your home care team can help troubleshoot any issues you have with your treatment. Ask your home care team if this is something you can access.
Some of the benefits of peritoneal dialysis compared to haemodialysis include:
Since you’ll be undergoing peritoneal dialysis at home, you’ll need to be trained to do it on your own. A specialised nurse at dialysis centre will be able to train you, which will usually take about one week. You can also bring along a support person or family member to undertake the training with you, so they can assist you later on.
During the training you’ll learn to:
For more information about your training, have a chat with your renal unit team.
When you have end stage kidney disease, you will need to make decisions about what kind of kidney disease treatment you want. This could include dialysis, kidney transplant or comprehensive conservative care. Even if you choose dialysis, you’ll have to decide whether haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis is best for you. Whatever treatment you choose, it’s your decision. Visit My Kidneys, My Choice, an interactive tool developed to help you explore your options. You can also read a PDF version of My Kidney, My Choice online.
Last updated: October 2025
