Insulin, antibiotics, and other drugs can be added by the patient to each dialysate exchange. This method of dialysis means freedom from a machine. Because CAPD is always going on, the patient is free to travel, attend events, or sit on the couch and watch television. Another advantage is that the blood never leaves the body, eliminating some potential problems. Peritonitis, an infection of the lining inside the abdomen, is the major complication of CAPD and occurs about once a year.
Antibiotics usually clear up the peritonitis, but sometimes an infection becomes life-threatening.
Approximately 12 percent of patients will be treated by CAPD or other types of peritoneal dialysis. Survival on CAPD is about the same as on hemodialysis. To help you decide, go see both in progress at a nearby dialysis center. Remember, you can switch methods if you have trouble with the first one you try. We recommend a kidney transplant as the favored treatment to all people with diabetic kidney failure who are under the age of 60.