When your kidneys are no longer able to adequately remove waste from your blood on their own, this procedure is needed to filter your blood, differently from hemodialysis. In contrast from hemodialysis, during peritoneal dialysis, fluid flows through a tube (catheter) into your abdomen. After a set period of time, the fluid with the filtered waste products flows out through the same catheter out of your abdomen and is discarded. Peritoneal dialysis may be the better option if you can’t tolerate the rapid changes of fluid balance associated with hemodialysis or want to minimize the disruption of your daily activities.
