Phosphatidylcholine Increases Ultrafiltration in Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis Patients

Loss of ultrafiltration (UF) is one of the common reasons for continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) failure(1) A surface-active material, mainly made up of phospholipids, has been identified in the peritoneal effluence (PE) of CAPD patients(2) This substance has been found to include principally phosphatidylcholine, and it has been suggested that it plays a role in UF during peritoneal dialysis, since it lowers surface tension and helps to repel water. When phosphatidylcholine is administered intraperitoneally, intravenously, or orally in CAPD patients with decreased UF and low phosphatidylcholine level in dialysis effluent, the peritoneal UF increases.(3)