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Peritoneal is one type of dialysis for end stage renal disease patients. Compared with hemodialysis, it has its own advantages. It has better than hemodialysis in removing medium molecular substances, improving anemia and nervous lesions and protecting kidney functions.
However just as hemodialysis, long term peritoneal dialysis will cause many complications. Here are the common complications of peritoneal dialysis and according treatments and nursing cares for alleviating these complications.
1. Hypoalbuminemia. During peritoneal dialysis, there will be loss of large amount of proteins, vitamins and other nutritions and patients often feel loss of appetite and fatigue. These nutritions should be supplied through diets. Besides adhere to usual eating habits, patients can have more high-quality proteins such as fish, lean meat, egg white and milk. Loss of albumin in urine will often cause swelling, therefore water intake should be up to daily urine volume. If 24-hour urine output is more than 1500ml and patients have no obvious hypertension, edema, they can have normal water intake.
2. Abdominal pain and abdominal distension. Hypertonic dialysate, improper temperature, amount and PH value of the dialysate, celiac infection, catheter shift during peritoneal dialysis can all cause abdominal pain and distension. Adjust the temperature, osmotic pressure and flow rate according to the underlying cause.
3. Peritonitis. It is the most serious complication of peritoneal dialysis and patients will have fever, chill and abdominal pain. Antibiotics and heparin can be used in the dialysate to control the infection.
4. Itching skin. It is common among peritoneal dialysis patients and it manifests as skin dryness and skin itching. Medicated bath can help promote the discharging of wastes and toxins accumulated in the skin and alleviate skin problems.
