It has been scientifically proven that patients who utilize one of the forms of home therapy live longer and with fewer bouts of illness than those who dialyze in a center. However, home dialysis may not be right for everyone, so it is important for patients to gather all information needed and speak with their medical team and others to make a final decision. If a patient determines home therapy is the right choice, he or she will begin a comprehensive training program that is tailored to their specific medical and learning needs. The patient will learn to perform at-home treatments with or without a dialysis care partner and will be released to care for themselves from home once the trainer is confident they have mastered the skills needed to dialyze safely without assistance. Every patient in a home program is provided clinical and technical support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by phone. Read below to learn more about the different types of home modality treatment options.

Peritoneal Dialysis, or PD, is a renal replacement therapy where the lining around the abdominal organs, called the peritoneum, is used as a filter or membrane to remove waste products and excess fluid from the blood. It is performed through a peritoneal catheter which is surgically placed in the patient’s abdomen. This can be done using two different approaches and mostly depends on the preference of the patient.

Two Types of Peritoneal Dialysis (PD):

1. Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD)

• • The patient performs an "exchange" manually 4 to 6 times a day based on their lab work and physician orders.
  • An exchange occurs when fluid is placed in the abdominal cavity (via a peritoneal dialysis catheter) and is allowed to "dwell" for 3 to 6 hours.
  • After the dwell, the fluid is drained from the abdominal cavity and discarded.
  • The process is repeated per physician's orders.

2. Continuous Cycling Peritoneal Dialysis (CCPD)

• • A machine, known as a "cycler," is used to deliver and drain the cleaning fluid to the peritoneum in multiple cycles, or exchanges, while the patient sleeps.
  • Treatment times are 8 to 10 hours, encompassing the hours the patient is meant to be sleeping.