Monitoring the Functional Status of the Peritoneum

Abstract

The integrity of the peritoneal membrane is essential for long-term treatment of peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Unlike an artificial kidney used for hemodialysis, the peritoneal membrane consists of living tissue. This implies that the properties of this membrane are not constant, but may change under the influence of endogenous or exogenous factors. Thus, it is important to monitor the peritoneal membrane in time. Data obtained during follow-up are crucial in the development of more biocompatible solutions. For the individual patient these data could be used to tailor the dialysis adequacy or to predict clinical problems such as ultrafiltration failure or peritoneal sclerosis.