How to Manage Peritoneal Dialysis Complications

Compared with hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis is more convenient, so more and more patients choose peritoneal dialysis once their kidneys fail to maintain their normal life. However, similar with hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis also can cause complications. Therefore, learn how to manage peritoneal dialysis complications in advance is necessary.

1. Peritonitis

In peritoneal dialysis, peritonitis is commonly caused by bacterial infection and the bacterium may come from blood, intestinal tract and dialyzate and so on. Mostly, when dialysis patients have symptoms of fever, stomachache, cloudy dialyzate, chill and abdominal tenderness, they can consider whether they are affected by peritonitis.

Peritonitis can cause serious protein loss, peritoneal adhesion, peritoneal thickening and blockage of pipe. Therefore, once peritonitis is caused, some antibiotics can be taken to control it.

2. Stomachache

For people with peritoneal dialysis, stomachache usually occurs in the following several conditions:

1. Improper dialyzate temperature

2. Peritonitis

3. abdominal infection

4. Excessive dialyzate or air in enterocoelia

5. Improper PH in dialysis in dialyzate

6. Shifting pipe

7. Hypertonic dialyzate

Before peritoneal dialysis, patients need to regular the dialyzate temperature to the proper range, lower osmotic pressure of dialyzate and dialysis speed.

3.Inadequate drainage or blockage of pipe

When this condition occurs, patients can change their posture, massage their abdomen, clysis, or inject heparin and urokinase into dialysis tubing. All these methods can help to solve this problem properly.

4. Swelling or pulmonary edema

Swelling or pulmonary edema usually occurs when peritoneal dialysis patients change their dialyzte. Therefore, do not change dialysis fluid casually and frequently. If you really need to change your dialyzate, consult your doctor before you start to do that.

Compared with hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis is more convenient, but it does not mean peritoneal dialysis is perfect. If we can not use peritoneal dialysis properly, the above complications will occur. Therefore, for the sake of health, learning how to manage these complications is very useful for people who are planing to adopt peritoneal dialysis.