Technical aspects of the peritoneal dialysis procedure

Since 1978, when peritoneal dialysis (PD) was first introduced for the treatment of pediatric patients with end-stage renal failure (ESRF), a series of technological improvements have been incorporated into the PD procedure. Important results were obtained in the safety and ease of use of the mechanical devices employed in the dialysis exchanges, as well as in the dialytic efficacy and bio-compatibility of the PD solutions. More recently, the revolution in the fields of electronics and computer science generated a series of automated delivery systems (the cyclers), that allow great prescription flexibility, as well as the monitoring of therapy results and of patient’s compliance.