Effects of Steady Glucose Concentration Peritoneal Dialysis on Ultrafiltration Volume and Sodium Removal

What is it about?

Declining kidney function will eventually result in the need for dialysis or transplantation. For dialysis to be effective it requires to remove sufficient fluid and waste products. One commonly used form of dialysis is peritoneal dialysis. During conventional peritoneal dialysis exchanges are performed where approximately 2L of a glucose and salt containing fluid is instilled into the peritoneal cavity which is then drained out after a period of time to enable remove fluid and toxin from the body. Commonly peritoneal dialysis is unable to remove sufficient fluid, which is damaging for patients. Fluid removal on peritoneal dialysis makes use of glucose as an osmotic agent in the dialysis solution. Unfortunately, as glucose is absorbed by the body the osmotic effect is lost reducing the amount of fluid that can be removed. The Carry Life® UF device continuously infuses small amounts of glucose into the dialysis solution to maintain a steady concentration of glucose. This study of eight patients compared three doses of 11, 14 and 20 g of glucose per hour over 5 hours with a standard 4-hour dialysis treatment using a conventional 2.27% glucose dialysis solution. The steady concentration PD resulted in removal of three to four times as much fluid per hour of treatment, as well as increased amounts of sodium, compared with the conventional dialysis solution. This ability to remove increased amounts of salt and water has considerable potential benefits for patients.

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Photo by Robina Weermeijer on Unsplash

Photo by Robina Weermeijer on Unsplash